Wrecked
by EmilyF.6
Summary: When a car accident kills her father on her first day back in Forks, Bella finds herself alone in the town she never wanted to come to with only a kind doctor and his strange family to look out for her.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I know I'm still working on People Will Talk, and I promise to have another chapter up soon, but I've been excited about writing this story as well and wanted to get the first chapter up. I hope you enjoy. **

Wrecked

'It hurts.' My brain informed me helpfully as I regained consciousness. But it did…it hurt so badly that I couldn't focus on anything else for a moment. I heard a noise; a loud, constant sound, like a horn…it was a horn, I realized. A car horn, like someone was sitting on it. 'Stop.' I wanted to yell at the person blaring their horn. 'Its hurting my head. Please stop.' Opening my eyes, I was surprised to find myself slumped forward and staring at a dashboard…a vaguely familiar dashboard…but why was I asleep in the car? And why did my head hurt so badly…or my leg for that matter? My ankle felt trapped, and when I tried to move it, I nearly blacked out again. 'Car crash.' My brain was really on top of things, I thought sarcastically, using all of my concentration to think at all.

Turning my head a little, I bit back a scream. Charlie's eyes were staring at me, his lips turned down in a grimace as his head rested on the steering wheel. I choked on a sob, shock running through me. I hadn't seen my dad in two years…now after a half hour, he was…

No. I couldn't think about that. Not now. I needed to get out of the car. He was fine. He would be fine. He was just…unconscious….with his eyes open. It didn't matter. I would call 911 and some doctor would help him and we'd be okay and I'd pretend to love being here for him…I'd do anything if he'd just be okay, I promised whoever was listening. "Ch…" I coughed, ignoring the way it made my head pound. "Charlie? Dad?" I gasped, reaching out for him, but my hand wasn't responding, and it fell a few feet short. "Hand on, Dad." I muttered, somehow managing after several attempts to unbuckle my seatbelt, my fingers numb and cold. Clutching the car door, I forced it open, noticing for the first time that I'd been leaning against it and that the hood was wrapped around a tree. The driver's side seemed to be crushed.

I pulled myself from the car and collapsed, screaming in pain when I hit the ground, my voice drowned out by the car horn. I didn't have a cell phone. I had no idea where we were…I hadn't been to Forks in too many years to remember how to get to a hospital, and even if I could, I couldn't even stand…I wondered why I'd thought to come here in the middle of winter. 'Please.' I thought desperately. 'Please, someone. God, please, help me.' I sobbed, tears falling down my face and dripping onto the cold grass in the dim light. Opening my eyes, I realized that there was blood mixing with the tears on the grass and wondered where I was bleeding from, too shocked to feel any sickness I would usually feel.

"Oh god…" I opened my eyes at the voice, soft and melodic and…pained. A figure stepped into my line of sight, a pair of nice shoes stopping a few feet away. "Oh god…" This time it was a groan…an agonized sound that surprised me. The feet moved closer and I glanced up to see the figure crouch a little, the body angled toward me. Closer and closer it came, finally kneeling a foot away. I met bright, butterscotch eyes, and my breath hitched.

"Please." I choked on the word, new tears falling from my eyes, and he paused, his own eyes widening in surprise. "Please…help Charlie." I begged, crying as I pleaded with him.

"Charlie?" His voice was just loud enough for me to hear over the horn that continued to blare.

"My dad." I tried to reach out to the man….well, he was about my age if I thought about it…maybe seventeen or eighteen…but my hand refused to move. "Please help him." He suddenly looked so torn…so pained and…almost pitying, that I bit my lip. His teeth were…bared? His entire body seemed to shield me from the world, but I didn't feel like he was protecting me. He leaned toward me, then stopped himself, reaching out, then clenching his fist and covered his mouth. "Please?" I asked in a small voice, not entirely knowing what I was asking…but there was something about his eyes…I was in some kind of danger.

Suddenly his teeth clenched and he stood, turning abruptly, striding off and speaking in a normal tone of voice. I closed my eyes for a minute, and the horn stopped blaring, the sound of screeching metal hurting my head even more, and then there was a brief silence. "Emmett! C'mon, Em, I need some help." I had no idea who he was talking to, and for a second my eyes drifted shut, the cold threatening to overtake me, but I forced them open.

'A phone? Help? Is he calling for someone?

"Sh*t…what happened? Is that Charlie Swan?" A deep voice asked from the same direction he'd walked.

"And his daughter." The boy's voice was strained.

There was a pause and the voice turned a little softer. "Edward, what's wrong?"

"Her blood…oh god, Emmett it's not like anything I've ever…" My brain had no idea what to do with that, so it let the statement slip away as I felt the cold water from the grass seep into my clothing.

"Oh…" The one he called Emmett sighed loudly, his breath gusting in the forest, his voice sympathetic for some reason. "Go call for Carlisle. I'll…stay here."

"Em…."

"Go! Hurry, before you can't. I'll be fine…we just hunted." There was a soft rustle and I must have blacked out for a second because suddenly there was another figure beside me, and I heard him kneel beside me. "Da*n girl. You're a mess." The voice…the one that apparently belonged to Emmett, was close, and if I'd been able to move without screaming I might have jumped. Instead I looed up at him, realizing that I was lying on my side and that the pain was moving toward unbearable. A hesitant hand touched my shoulder and I relaxed a little, the bit of human contact grounding me. "Just hang on a minute, kid. Help's comin'."

"Charlie? Is he okay?" I managed to ask again, each breath painful. The guy…Emmett…sighed again, then flinched, turning his head away from me slightly.

"No…sorry kid. I think he went pretty quick though." He assured me, his voice turning gentle. Shock ran through me. My dad was really dead. I'd only been here for a few hours and my dad was dead. A sob ripped through my throat and the hand on my arm tightened a little. The hand moved then and for a second I thought he'd left, but then I was on my back and the ache in my side had let up a little, although the pain in my ankle made me groan. "There you go. Better?" The tears ran down the side of my face now and Emmett wiped at my cheeks. "Hey, shh. It's okay, kid." He sighed when I didn't stop, my breath hitching as I cried painfully, and he squeezed my shoulder. "Hey, what's your name?"

Taking a shuddering breath, I tried to stop the trembling that made my teeth chatter. "Bella."

"Ah. So you're the one he hasn't stopped talking about. Everyone in town's been waiting for you…" He broke off suddenly at the end, but I couldn't help the small shaky smile, even if my eyes continued to leak tears. Opening my eyes, I was able to make out his face, large and round, boyish but still older than I was by a few years probably. His cheeks dimpled a little when he smiled at me, and his curly brown hair was cut short. "There you go. It's okay." He frowned for a moment, then pulled away, removing the jacket he wore. "I don't have anything else." He spoke apologetically, covering me with the garment that was somehow chilled despite being on his body a few seconds ago.

I glanced up at the police cruiser, the shock preventing me from feeling the amount of grief that was sure to come, and he touched my shoulder again. I wondered if he was getting cold or if my body was just so cold that I couldn't feel warmth….did it work that way? Had he been warm a few seconds ago? Thinking was oddly difficult. "Cold?" I managed to ask, looking up into his eyes, and they turned a little sad in the dim light.

"Yea I know. Give it a minute. I know you're cold on that wet grass…but I'd better not move you too much, just in case you've hurt your neck."

"You?" I tried again, my voice shaking. "Cold? Your jacket?" He puzzled over my words for a second and then smiled a little, his eyes curious.

"Are you asking if I'm cold without my jacket?"

"Mmhm." He chuckled softly, moving a lock of hair from my face.

"Don't you worry about me, kid. I'm fine." He assured me, then grimaced at something as the wind blew. I trembled, unable to suppress a sob and was crying once again, my body reacting to the pain and cold and helplessness I felt. His posture shifted and he moved to block me from the wind, sitting on the ground beside me, his jaw tight. "I'm Emmett, by the way. Emmett Cullen. My dad's on his way, Bella. He's a doctor, you know. A really good one…a medical genius and all that. You couldn't ask for a better guy to help you." He paused for a moment, then continued in a less strained voice. "That guy that found you…that's my know it all kid brother, Edward." I had to smile a little at his light tone. "And I've got a little sister too, Alice. She's a weirdo, but you'd probably like her. She loves shopping." He told me dryly, then laughed aloud when I grimaced. "You don't like shopping?"

"No." He chuckled again, his booming voice seeming to send vibrations through my body.

"We're all adopted by Carlisle, our father, and our mom Esme." His voice continued on then, soothing me as I lay on the wet grass. "And I've got a foster brother, Jasper, and a foster sister, his twin, Rosalie." I opened my eyes again to look at him, suddenly realizing that I'd let them close. "Hey, stay awake, Bella." I trembled again violently as the wind roared and a raindrop fell from the sky. He grumbled for a second then leaned over me, shielding me from the worst of the light mist. "What about you, Bella? You got any brothers or sisters?" He was speaking urgently, trying to get me to talk, and I shook my head a little.

"No." I whimpered, trembling again with the cold. "So cold." I sobbed, knowing there was nothing he could do about it but also unable to help myself. "Please…" My voice trailed off, as I had no idea what to ask of him. "Cold." I told him again feebly, and his cold hand touched my shoulder as my head throbbed. "Hurts."

"Shh, here's Carlisle. He's a doctor. He's going to help you, kid. Okay?" I cried, hot tears running down my face as I was unable to stop. "Carlisle! You've got to help her." He told someone urgently, and another voice, this one softer than the other two, spoke up.

"Good job, Emmett. I'm proud of you. You saved this girl." I had no idea what he was talking about, but another figure, a blonde man with a face that I could only describe as something out of a mythology book in its perfection, hovered over me and two fingers touched my wrist.

"Her name's Bella." I heard Emmett mumble before moving away, and the blonde man released my wrist to put two fingers against my neck.

"Hello, Bella. I'm Carlisle. I'm a doctor, alright?"

"Emmett's dad?" I asked weakly, and he paused, smiling a little, his eyes gentle.

"Yes. I am. And you're…" He glanced up at the car and sighed. "You're Isabella Swan, Charlie Swan's daughter." I bit my lip, suppressing another sob.

"He's dead?" I asked in a small voice, and although I knew the answer, I felt new tears fall from my eyes when he answered.

"Yes, I'm very sorry Bella. He is. He probably died on impact." He was silent for a moment, moving his hand to the top of my head, gently probing, then pausing when I cried out. "Sorry." He moved his hand to cup my cheek. "I believe you'll need stiches…you cut your head open pretty badly, but it isn't a deep cut. Can you look at me?" I winced when a bright light was shone in my eyes, making the ache in my head intensify. His hands moved down to my neck again, gently touching the sides and back, then pressing against the base of my skull. "Here." He placed his hand in mine. "Can you squeeze my hand, Bella?" I did, weakly, and he repeated the procedure with my other hand, smiling a little when I clutched at his hand, and I felt him rub his thumb over the back of mine.

"Can you tell me where else it hurts, Bella?" He asked, his soft voice soothing.

"My leg." I bit my lip, taking a shuddering breath as I shook from the cold. His hands were cold as well, and I wondered if I'd ever be warm again. "Left…my ankle." I clarified, and his hands were on my leg then, gently feeling along my shin and ankle.

"I think it's a bad sprain…luckily you didn't break it. Anywhere else?"

"Head. Sides." He moved the jacket over me and pulled the shirt up a little, sighing when I shook harder.

"I know you're cold, sweetheart. Just a second." He carefully pressed against both sides and mumbled to himself. "Okay. I think you have a few broken ribs, but you're going to be okay." He placed the jacket back over me, and then removed his own sweater to fold under my head. "An ambulance is coming…I'm going to ride with you and get you something for the pain, okay?"

"Thank you." I managed, hating the way my head felt fuzzy as my eyes shut. He responded but I didn't catch what he said, only coming back to awareness when someone moved me onto a hard board, then lifted me into an enclosed space.

"Blankets. She's freezing." Carlisle's voice faded in and out. "Morphine. Yes… with her. No…my son. I need…probably…" I steady beeping filled the little area, followed by a siren that could have been in my head…no one else seemed to react to it. "Better…heart rate…no, her father. Yes." I shook under the blankets, still crying, and I felt a cold hand wipe at my face.

"It's going to be okay, Isabella."

"Bella." I corrected, somehow managing to sound both irritated and pained. He chuckled softly, his hand moving to rest on my shoulder.

"My apologies. Bella."

* * *

When I woke it was to a persistent beeping. Keeping my eyes closed, I tried burrowing deeper into the blanket that covered me. I wasn't cold anymore thankfully, and my head felt little less fuzzy. My ankle felt tight, and when I moved it I realized it was wrapped in some kind of bandage. I finally managed to open my eyes, glancing around the room and confirming my suspicion that I was in the hospital. As soon as I acknowledged that, my brain supplied the memories, and I realized that I was alone….in a hospital…in Forks. Unable to stop the sob, to stop picturing Charlie's face staring at me from the driver's side of the crushed police cruiser, I brought my hands up to cover my face and cried, biting my lip to keep quiet and ignoring the building headache and the way the needle in my arm pulled.

"Bella? Bella are you alright?" The voice coming from the doorway was familiar but I didn't bother looking toward it. It was a man. If my father and step-father had taught me anything, it was that men were uncomfortable with tears and would probably leave if I pretended they weren't there. So that's what I did. Turning a little, I leaned back against the slightly elevated bed and cried; wishing whoever it was would go away.

The man sighed softly and I managed to be grateful for men's inherent inability to deal with crying teenage girls for about two seconds before a hand touched my shoulder. I stiffened in surprise…I hadn't heard him approach the bed or…sit down on the edge as he was doing now. "I know it hurts, Bella. We're trying to reach your mother, okay? We'll keep trying. You'll be okay."

'Carlisle.' I realized. The doctor I could vaguely remember from the scene of the crash. 'But wasn't there someone else there? Or two people?' The crash itself was impossible to remember, and the time I'd spent escaping from the car and lying on the ground were like fuzzy dreams. 'Someone rescued me though…someone must have heard me scream or maybe heard the crash?' The doctor moved a little closer as I cried, and I realized that my sobbing had me gasping for breath.

"Bella? Calm down, sweetheart." I leaned forward a little, covering my face with my hands, and his hand hesitantly moved to my upper back, moving in soothing circles. Turning a little, I leaned my head on his shoulder, ignoring the fact that he stiffened for a moment. After a second, his hand wrapped around me and I realized that one thing from my memory of that night had been accurate…he was cold. His body was hard like stone as he held me close, but I didn't care…I was too busy crying on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Bella." He murmured, bringing up another arm to hold me, and it reminded me of when I was little and hurt, and Charlie would pick me up and hold me. Crying even more painfully, I slumped against him, not caring that I was probably making an idiot of myself…he'd been the one who hadn't left the emotional teenage girl to cry alone. So he could pay the consequences.

* * *

I was surprised to find myself waking up. I hadn't even realized that I'd fallen asleep, but here I was again, opening my eyes to an empty hospital room. "Hello, Bella." Oh…not empty then. "Are you feeling any better?" The voice was gentle and I turned to find Carlisle still in the room, sitting on a chair beside the bed. And then I realized that I must have fallen asleep on the poor man.

"Oh…I…I'm sorry." I felt my face heat up and stared down at the blankets, humiliated. 'How could I have done that? First I cry all over him and then I use him as a pillow…and I've known him all of…' My thoughts came up short on that one. I had no idea how long it had been.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Bella." He assured me kindly, touching my arm for a brief second, the cold somehow failing to surprise me this time.

'Someone else was cold.' My brain tried to tell me, but I didn't care at the moment. "What…what day is it?" I asked hesitantly, glancing around the room until his eyes captured mine and he answered all of the questions I'd really wanted to ask.

"You arrived on a Sunday. My sons found you at around 6 o'clock in the evening. You slept for four days, waking occasionally for a few moments but then falling asleep again without saying anything…I had to monitor your concussion, but thankfully it wasn't severe. Last night you woke briefly and were lucid…it's Friday now…around noon." I swallowed hard, unable to remember any but the last time I'd woken. "It's normal not to remember." He reassured me soothingly. "Can you tell me the last thing you _can_ remember?"

"Um…I remember waking up last night." I mumbled, hating the blush that rose to my cheeks.

"Alright. Before that?"

"After the crash…lying on the ground…it was cold." He frowned a little.

"Yes, my son tried to help you, but there was little he could do without moving you. You were lucky to escape hypothermia…or pneumonia for that matter. I've checked your lungs and I believe you're out of danger. My only concerns are your head injury, which seems to be healing fine, and your ribs. You'll need to keep still for a while…it would be easy for you to puncture a lung if you fell again. And be careful when walking. The sprain is still healing."

"Your son…" I only half listened as he spoke, looking at him strangely. "Emmett?" He nodded.

"Yes. He and Edward found you."

"Edward found me…" I frowned a little at the memory of the handsome boy who'd stared at me so strangely, then of the larger man who'd sat with me. "Emmett told me about your family." It was probably my imagination that he stiffened but I clarified anyway, not sure why he would have that reaction. "That he was adopted? And about his brother and sister…and his foster-sister and brother."

"Ah, yes. We have a large family." I had to smile at that. Five children certainly was a large family. "Well, would you like to eat something? I've had you hooked to an IV for a while, but I think it would be safe to remove now. Are you having any pain in your head? Blurred vision? Trouble speaking?"

"No…I'm fine." He gave me a strange look and chuckled.

"Alright. I'll have them bring you something to eat then. Try and stay still, Bella. If you need anything, here's the call button for the nurse's station, and if you need me, just ask one of the nurses." He smiled kindly at me, touching my hand, then stood. I was about to thank him when something occurred to me.

"Wait!" I started to sit up straight but froze when that became impossible. He turned his concerned eyes onto me. "Charlie?" His own eyes widened, then turned gentle.

"Bella, Charlie was killed in the crash." He reminded me, his voice soft.

"No…I mean…his funeral? Or…something? Do I…" I stared at the blanket frowning…I had no idea how to plan a funeral or any money to do so. Carlisle moved back to my side and crouched beside my bed.

"Don't worry about any of that Bella. The men at the police station are already taking care of it. And we're trying to contact your mother." I nodded, leaning back against the pillow once more.

"Thank you." I mumbled. He nodded, then left as a nurse entered.

* * *

Carlisle stepped into his house, dropping his black bag on the bench by the front door, just in case he needed to get to it in a hurry, and sought out his wife, who greeted him in the doorway. He wrapped his arms around her, lips finding hers, and smiled when she tucked her head under his chin. "How was work?" She asked softly, although he knew exactly what she was really asking.

"She woke up this afternoon." She smiled a little in relief…she had grown attached to the girl, even though she'd never met her. "I'm afraid she hasn't eaten anything though…she's basically refused food all day, according to the nurses. And she's barely spoken. We can't get a hold of her mother…I tried calling myself once or twice. Her answering machine is full. Honestly we're not sure if we've got the right number on file…a nurse tried to ask Bella, but the poor girl said she didn't know…her mother gave her the same phone number we have on file, and I believe she's too upset to remember…" He shook his head. "She's not coping well at all."

"And she doesn't know anyone in town?"

"Apparently she was born here, but her mother and father separated when she was barely five, and her mother moved them around…they finally settled in Arizona. I believe there are a few people in town she's met, but she hasn't been to Forks, from what I can tell, in…six years? Maybe seven. I'm not sure she'd remember anyone in town." Esme bit her lips, crossing her arms and looking at him in distress.

"Isn't there anything we can do? Her father was so kind…he always advocated for us…you know, I believe he was estranged from his friends on the reservation because of it." Carlisle nodded.

"He was. He was once close with Billy Black...the chief's descendent. But of course they have their legends…not that they're wrong. Still, he was able to convince some from the reservation to continue coming to the hospital." He sighed. "I've taken care of the bill, or whatever Charlie's insurance wouldn't cover. Of course, Bella's inherited everything he had, so the house is hers now, along with everything he owned, and whatever money he had...life insurance."

"She can't stay in that house alone, Carlisle. She's only seventeen." He nodded.

"I know." He murmured.

"Are you talking about Bella?" Carlisle looked up with a small smile at Emmett's head as he peeked around the door.

"Yes. She's woken up." He'd been just as surprised as everyone else when Emmett had seemed taken with the human girl, but no more surprised than when he had arrived on the scene of the crash to find Emmett, with blood dripping onto his hand as he wiped at the terrified girl's tears, speaking gently to the girl, keeping her as calm as he could and assuring her that she would be okay. He'd been worried for the girl all week, asking his father again and again if she'd woken yet. But Carlisle couldn't have been more proud of his usually almost annoyingly cheerful and careless son. Edward had impressed him as well. He'd not only stumbled upon the girl covered in blood, but had found a person whose blood smelled better to him than anyone else's…his 'singer' as his old friend Aro called them. Carlisle had faced several people like this, and it had been the closest he'd ever come to breaking his self-control.

"She won't eat?" Emmett asked solemnly.

"No…not more than a bite or two, and her body needs the nutrition to heal. Nor could we reach any of her family." Emmett sighed, crossing his arms and Carlisle smiled faintly. "She remembers you." His son looked up in surprise. "You and Edward both." His oldest son was in the living room from what he could hear, his fingers tapping absently against the keys as he listened to both their conversation and their thoughts. He'd been a bit more moody than usual the last few days, but no one was sure why. "She said you told her about our family." Emmett grinned ruefully.

"I didn't really think she'd remember…I think she hit her head pretty hard. But I told her that we were adopted…just the cover story." Carlisle nodded.

"Yes, that's what she said."

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Emmett asked softly.

"If I can get her to eat, I think she'll stand a better chance of recovering fully." He said carefully. "I'm more worried about her mental state, however. I'm afraid her grief is contributing to her withdraw. She's only spoken to me…the nurses all say she's mostly silent when they try to engage her, and she won't ask for anything."

* * *

Edward stared down at the piano keys, his fingers absently tapping against them, the music that it would have made sounding in his head. He'd nearly killed that girl. He'd heard her scream and immediately ran toward the source, remembering his days on his own when he'd chased down killers and rapists. He might not kill humans anymore, but he'd help the girl if she needed it.

And then he'd smelled the blood…the most wonderful, enticing scent he'd ever come across. If he had known that something like this existed…well he probably wouldn't be a vegetarian. His body had moved into a crouch before he knew what he was doing, stepping closer to the girl, groaning as he tried to resist. 'I can't do this…' He'd told himself. But even the thought of his father's disappointed gaze hadn't stopped him…he'd moved to the girl's side, belatedly noticing that she was crying where she lay crumpled on her side. Her wounds weren't fatal, so he couldn't comfort himself with that though. But rational thought had gone out the window when the breeze had blown her scent at him in full force. 'I'll kill her quickly.' He'd told himself. 'I won't let the poor girl suffer anymore than she has to. I'll break her neck as quickly as I can…she won't even feel it.' He'd thought as he'd knelt beside her.

And then she'd looked up at him, her large brown eyes making him pause as they all but pleaded with him, and he couldn't move. "Please." She begged in a broken voice that called to him as much as her blood. "Please, help Charlie." He'd felt his eyes widening.

"Charlie?" He'd asked, then immediately realized that she was the police chief's daughter.

"My dad." She told him in a broken voice. "Please help him."

And instantly he'd known that he couldn't do this…he couldn't kill the crying girl begging for him to help her dead father, no matter how painful it was going to be to walk away. She tried to move, tried to reach out to him, but he realized that she must have hit her head, as she didn't seem to understand that her arm was pinned underneath her. "Please?" She'd asked one more time, but this time there was something else in her eyes…fear maybe? At least wariness. He was scaring her…he wondered what his face must look like. But he had to get away…at least find fresher air, and he would call Carlisle. His body moved even as he thought it, moving him away from the wonderful smelling human girl he left sobbing in the grass and calling for his brother who he could trust to restrain him if necessary, distracting himself by stopping the horrible noise of the horn that must have been killing her head.

Even now he felt guilty. Emmett had been incredible, soothing the crying girl with a gentleness usually reserved for his sisters and mother as she lay shaking and bleeding on the ground, and all Edward could do was stand on the sidelines, begging Carlisle to hurry and listening to Emmett's struggles to resist her spilled blood. Now as he listened to his brother and father, he felt worse. He'd been completely useless. But more than that, he couldn't stop thinking about the girl that begged him to help her father…her large brown eyes, her soft voice. Edward sighed and began playing an old piece of music absently, unsure of why he was thinking about her. She was just some human girl…but he knew that if he could sleep, he would have been dreaming of her far too often for the last few days.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the positive reviews! You're all very sweet. I hope you enjoy the second chapter :)**

"Hello Bella." I bit back a sigh. For four days now, he'd come to my room every morning at five a.m., apparently taking over rounds in my room, which only made me feel worse about refusing to speak to the kind doctor. "How are you feeling?" He always asked me in that same gentle tone.

"Fine." I always answered. And then he would sigh and write on my chart and encourage me to eat…and then say some stuff I didn't listen to, checking my sides and my ankle that was mostly headed by now. And of course inform me that they couldn't get a hold of my mother. Ask me if I had any other family…any other way to reach her. And then the answer was always no…not that I really thought about it…I couldn't. Then he would leave me to it…and by it, I mean staring at the wall across from my bed and ignoring the tray of food on the bedside table and the nurses who tried to talk to me.

He would come back after a while and look sadly at the full tray that a nurse would take, then check me over again, a little half heartedly, and I was sure there wasn't any change. I was healing fine. The second day he'd suggested I watch some TV, placing the remote within easy reaching distance, but I'd only been able to manage a shrug. I hadn't liked TV much before I all but killed my own father. I was sure I wouldn't like it now. I did try though…even through the wall that I'd built between myself and the world, I didn't want to hurt the kind doctor who was obviously taking the time to try to help me. So I'd turned it on, forcing myself to look in the general direction for a while. But I could tell he wasn't fooled.

That night I'd lain awake on my side, staring at the wall, scarcely aware of the tears streaming down my face, and had been somewhat surprised when he'd come in, sitting beside the bed and taking my hand silently. Later I felt bad about not even acknowledging his presence, but I didn't think I could express how grateful I was to have him there. He'd stayed silent at my side for what felt like hours as I'd cried, something no one had ever done before. My mom had always been panicked when I cried, trying desperately to make things better, and I'd eventually stopped crying around her. And of course Charlie had no idea what to do with crying children or teenagers. But Carlisle hadn't seemed bothered at all and I wondered at the man's infinite patience. When I'd finally stopped, my eyes drooping as I started to fall asleep, he'd disappeared for a moment, then reappeared with a cold wash cloth that he'd used to wipe my face, and I could have sworn he kissed the top of my head as I drifted to sleep.

The next day neither of us spoke about that night, but I did try to eat…especially when he looked so sad as he placed a tray on my table, a job usually reserved for one of the nurses. But the food tasted like cardboard as I forced myself to chew and swallow, and I barely ate half of it. Still, he seemed a little cheered, so I was happy for him in the same detached way I felt everything except for grief. Then on the third day, he'd come to my room several times, often just checking on me, dropping in to ask if I was okay. He seemed more and more concerned as I hid behind my wall, but I couldn't force myself to tear it down. I was too afraid…if I started thinking about what had happened, if I allowed myself to feel all the emotions just waiting for me to acknowledge them, I didn't know if I could bear it.

The most surprising thing had been when he'd sat down in my room around noon, placing a tray of food on my table, and staring at me seriously. "Bella, can you try to eat something?" He'd asked softly, and, unable to bring myself to deny him, I'd tried, forcing down a few bites before the cardboard had been too much for me. "Bella, a colleague of mine has asked if she can come see you. She's a counselor. Would you like to talk to her?" I'd shaken my head, staring at the bed, and he'd sighed, touching my hand. I had a feeling that he'd wanted to say something else, but he had only rubbed his thumb on the back of my hand. "It's okay. You don't have to right now. If you change your mind, you know how to reach me." He'd started to leave then, but had paused, turning to look at me. "You can speak to me, if you'd rather. I'll be back in a few hours, regardless." If I was going to speak to anyone, it would have been him, but I couldn't bring myself to try when he'd come back that evening to check me and wish me goodnight….and I didn't know if I ever could.

But today he placed the clipboard back on the end of the bed and crouched beside me. I'd long since become accustomed to his cold skin, something my mind wasn't ready to question yet, so I didn't even flinch when he touched my hand. "Bella, there's someone who wants to see you. Do you think that would be okay?" Turning to look at him, I wondered what he was talking about. He'd told me that I didn't have to speak to a counselor yet…had he changed his mind?

"Who?" I asked hesitantly. I certainly didn't know anyone in Forks who would visit me.

He paused for a moment, glancing over at the door. "His name is Billy Black. He was a friend of your father's." I nodded, suddenly remembering the large man who'd gone fishing with my dad when I was little. "Would you like to see him?" The doctor asked. "I can tell him you're not up to it if you'd like." I shrugged, once again feeling apathetic.

"I don't care." I mumbled. Carlisle squeezed my hand, his eyes sad.

"I'll tell the nurse to send him up, okay? If you want him to leave, just call for a nurse, alright Bella?" I nodded, mumbling a thank you as he left.

My dad was dead. If I hadn't left home…if I hadn't come here…if I'd taken a different flight… A thousand possibilities flew through my mind. Maybe if I'd spent more time here, maybe if I'd called him more…maybe if I'd just done _something_ different, he wouldn't be dead. Maybe if I'd been a better daughter, or told Renee that I really didn't want to leave…or maybe…my thoughts were cut short when my door was opened to reveal a man in a wheelchair…a man whose presence I immediately recognized. He stared at me for a moment, then rolled the chair closer. "Bella? Do you remember me?"  
"You were Charlie's friend."

* * *

"Billy Black came to the hospital today to see Bella." Esme glanced up at Carlisle from her position beside him in the middle of the field, losing interest in the deer they'd been after. "I never thought I'd see him at the hospital."

"Did Bella want to see him?"

"She was pretty indifferent about it…"

"It sounds like she's pretty indifferent about everything." Esme spoke gently and Carlisle nodded.

"He only spoke to her for a few minutes before leaving…He told her about Charlie's funeral…I don't think she actually listened. Also, I believe he offered her a place to stay." He paused, unsure how he felt about that. "It would be good for her to get out of the hospital. She never even leaves her room…" He shook his head, eyeing her sadly. "I don't know what to do for her. Protocol suggests a psych evaluation at this point, and Dr. Sims has been asking to see her…she's barely eating and she won't speak to anyone. She just sits there in that room…staring at the wall. Billy was her first visitor, but there's really no one else. I haven't even told her that the other police officers have asked to see her. I don't think it would be good for her…"

"No…I don't think so either. She needs her mother." He nodded, then turned to her with a small smile.

"She certainly needs her mother…but since we can't reach _her _mother…" Esme stared at him in confusion, and then surprise.

"You want _me _to see her? I've never met the girl!"

"No…but you have a gift with teenagers. Just look at ours." She laughed a little.

"Carlisle…are you sure? I mean, I'd love to help her…but won't having a strange woman visit her make her uncomfortable?"

"Take Alice with you." He suggested suddenly. "She could cheer anyone up. Bella needs to focus on something else…if she's ever going to heal she has to move on. She's spending every minute staring at the wall and probably blaming herself…she's making herself sick. Please, Esme?" The woman sighed, then nodded a little.

"Of course. I'll speak to Alice when we get home."

Carlisle didn't know why he felt so attached to this human girl. He'd treated so many patients, many of them younger than Bella, who'd lost their parents, or their siblings…or their entire family. Some he'd found on the side of the road like Edward had Bella, some had been brought into the hospital…but he'd never felt this protective…this worried about a human patient before. He cared for all of his patients of course…he couldn't stand to see another person suffering. But with Bella it was different.

The girl had clung to him that first night, and then when she'd woken up in the hospital, she'd rested her head on his shoulder, tears soaking into his shirt, apparently not bothered by his cold skin or hard body. These things didn't seem to faze her…even when Emmett had touched her that night when she was already so cold, she'd only begged them to help her father.

Likewise, he'd met plenty of selfless people, and some of the most were in his family. 'So why do I love this girl?' Because he did, he realized. He loved her, just like he'd loved Rosalie when he found her in the alley, and like he'd loved Alice when she'd knocked on their front door, asking which room she could move into. He realized that if he'd been the one to find Bella, he might have been tempted to change her. Because there was something about this girl…and he wanted to end her suffering. More than anything he wanted to see what this girl was like when she was happy, how she sounded when she laughed, what she liked to do for fun. He was drawn to her, like he'd been to all of his children.

* * *

Alice sat on the front porch, leaning back in a char and smiling. "We're going to visit Bella?" She asked Esme expectantly as the two returned, and Carlisle chuckled at his daughter. She hoped she hadn't let too much of the familiarity leak into her voice.

"We should have known you'd see it coming. How will she react?"

"I'm not sure…" Alice's face turned thoughtful. "She's hard to read…her emotions are so chaotic and she's not making any decisions." The small girl leaned forward in the chair, making a quiet thump as the front legs hit the porch. "She'd like to see Emmett, I'll bet." She informed them with a grin. "He could cheer her up in no time." Esme smiled a little.

"I think Bella needs a woman's influence at the moment." Alice shrugged.

"If you say so. When are we going?"

"Probably around eleven. Maybe we can get her to eat something." Carlisle nodded.

"That would be wonderful. But I mostly just want to get her out of that bed. Most of the danger has passed…I think some exercise would do her good."

"It's going to be overcast tomorrow…so we can take her outside." Alice watched the visions pass before her eyes. "She'll be happy if we bring her books." She informed Carlisle who smiled. "She loves to read. I'll raid the library…maybe Jasper has something. I think we can cheer her up a little." She confirmed with a nod.

Alice found Jasper in the library as she'd suspected, climbing onto his lap and kissing his cheek. He smiled at her for a moment, his eyes softening as he kissed her, then put his book down. "You want help finding a book for the girl?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Mmhm. It shouldn't be too hard. I'll just pick something and _see_ if she likes it." She winked as she drew out the word 'see' and he laughed.

"Of course." He stood, keeping her in his arms, and she paused, touching his face.

"What's wrong, Jasper?" She asked quietly. He looked at her in confusion, then sighed when she persisted.

"I'm just not sure it's wise for Carlisle to grow so attached." He admitted. "She's just a human. We'll have to move on in a few years anyway…and we'll have to leave her behind. So if Carlisle gets too fond of her now…"

"She's not a pet, Jazz." Alice scolded him gently, touching his cheek. "She's a person."

"All the more reason not to get attached. What about how she feels? Won't it hurt her if we all leave her after she starts to like us?" Alice was silent, not telling her husband that she'd seen flashes…flashes of a possible future that she liked very much and would keep all of them from being sad. There was just something missing…something hadn't fallen into place yet. But it would…she was sure of it. She just had to figure out what that piece was first.

'Carlisle loves her. Esme's going to love her. Emmett already cares about her. This girl is going to be important to us...I'm almost sure of it.'

* * *

Billy Black had offered me a place to stay. I had no idea why. I didn't know if he was serious, honestly, or if that's just what he thought he should say. But I knew the best thing to do would be to accept. Some things hadn't changed. My mom still needed to spend more time with Phil without worrying about me. As much as I wanted to run and never think about this little town again, I knew that I had to stay. I could live with Billy Black for a year or two, go to school, then move away to college and hopefully forget all about this. My father would still be dead, it would still be my fault…and it would always hurt, but at least I wouldn't be hurting my mother. My heart felt a little lighter just thinking about it…at least I had a plan.

"Hello Bella." I glanced up, managing a small, half hearted smile for the kind doctor who went out of his way to take care of me. I really was being rude to him, I scolded myself.

"Hi, Dr. Cullen." He seemed surprised at my attitude…usually I only mumbled at him, and I felt a rush of embarrassment about my rudeness, although he never seemed offended.

"I'm sure I've told you to call me Carlisle." He smiled at me, moving to my bedside and taking a seat.

"Sorry." I looked down at the bed. I had no idea why he'd taken an interest in me…he'd certainly done enough for me in the last few days. "Hi Carlisle." He reached over and touched my forehead, then moved his hand to the back of my head.

"How's your head?"

"Fine."

"Good." He moved his hand down to my side, gently probing when I moved my arm out of his way, more than used to this routine. "And your sides?"

"Fine." He gave a soft chuckle.

"Yes, of course. Well they seem to be healing just…fine. You're welcome to get up and walk around if you'd like…there's a cafeteria downstairs, and a courtyard if you want to get out of this room." I didn't respond, staring down at the blanket instead. "Any meals you would like are paid for by the hospital of course, so if you'd like to eat something downstairs, just give them your name." I nodded a little, even though I had no intention of doing so. "So, actually, there's someone here to see you…if you'd like." I looked up at him strangely…he seemed almost excited.

"Who?" I asked quietly, wondering at his expression.

"Well, I know you don't know anyone in Forks, and I was speaking to my wife…well, she thought she'd very much like to meet you, and she brought my youngest daughter, Alice."

'He…he brought his wife to see me. And she came…because they're worried I'm lonely here. They came all the way out here to see a girl they've never met.' I covered my mouth with my hand, feeling hot tears fall from my face, and his hand moved to my back.

"Bella? What's wrong? Are you okay?" His voice was mildly alarmed. "It's okay if you don't want to see them right now. We understand…maybe another time. It's okay…I'll send them home, alright?" He started to move, his voice soothing as he stood, but I grabbed at his sleeve.

"No…" I choked out, wiping my eyes furiously. "No, of course I'd love to meet them. Thank you." His eyes met mine, a little startled, then he smiled.

"Alright. If you're sure?" I nodded. These people had come all they way here to see me. I certainly wouldn't be so rude as to refuse them. He stood and moved to the door while I wiped at my eyes once more. He disappeared for a second, then reentered with a woman, slightly shorter than him, with long caramel hair, her eyes a bright butterscotch that matched his, and a perfect, lovely round face. She smiled gently at me, moving to my side slowly and reaching out a hand to touch mine. "Bella, this is my wife, Esme." There was something about his voice when he said that…something about his eyes, and I realized with a sharp pang that this man loved his family above everything.

"Hello, Bella. It's so good to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too." It felt strange to smile so genuinely, but I couldn't help it…her presence exuded warmth and maternal love like Carlisle radiated compassion and kindness.

"And this is my daughter Alice." Suddenly two arms were wrapped around me and Carlisle smiled at me wryly when I peeked at him over the girl's shoulder. She moved away then, and I had to grin back at her. The girl was tiny, with short black hair styled into fashionable spikes, with the same beautiful pale skin as both of her adoptive parents…and the same eyes. I filed that away, laughing a little when she darted forward again to kiss my cheek.

"Hi Bella." She seemed to be bouncing in excitement, eyeing me as though she was meeting a very good friend once again after a long absence.

'And I've got a little sister too, Alice. She's a weirdo, but you'd probably like her. She loves shopping.' I remembered Emmett's words with a soft giggle.

"Hi Alice."

"You're a mess." She told me, her tone so gently teasing that I couldn't take offense, but I felt my face heat up anyway. Carlisle murmured something but she only smiled at me while lifting up a bag. "But don't worry. I'm going to fix you." I had to laugh a little at that, eyeing the bag warily.

"What's that?"

"Something fun. Just…trust me." She smiled at me with such familiarity that I couldn't help it. I nodded.

"Okay."

* * *

Carlisle left us after that with a chuckle, telling us to have fun and going back to work, and immediately Alice was grinning at me again. Esme smiled as the girl began to go through her bag. "We've been very excited to finally meet you, Bella. Carlisle talks about you so often, we feel as though we already know you." She eyed Alice for a moment, then took my hand again. "Bell, I was so sorry to hear about your father. He was such a kind man. I am so sorry for your loss, sweetheart." I bit my lip, nodding my thanks, and she moved to sit beside me, wrapping her arms around me. "It's going to be okay, Bella." She promised me quietly, and somehow, in less than five minutes, this woman had done what ten well-meaning nurses hadn't been able to do in five days… my wall crumbled and I began to sob in her arms.

I heard the door close and thought maybe Alice had left, but the pixie faced girl moved to my other side, sitting beside me on the bed and putting her hands on my back. Esme gently shifted me until she was sitting beside me as well, leaning back against the bed. "There you go honey. Go ahead. It's okay." I realized that I'd been apologizing and forced myself to stop speaking and tried to calm down. This woman was going to think I was crazy. "Let go, Bella." She prompted tenderly, and I stopped fighting it…it was useless anyway. The terrible numbness was already gone, replaced by a pain so deep that I didn't know if it would ever disappear.

I must have cried in her arms for a good half hour while she held me, whispering to me every so often, or humming to me, and once or twice, I was a little ashamed to admit, I would pretend that she was my mother, and that Alice was my sister. But eventually my tears stopped and I felt my face heat up. "I'm sorry." I mumbled into her shoulder, my breath hitching, but she shook her head.

"Sweetheart you do not have _anything_ to apologize for. You have every reason in the world to be upset, and we understand that." She cupped my cheek in her hands and smiled a little. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

Alice helped me stand, mostly because the only walking I'd done in days was to the bathroom and back, and kept her arm around me as we moved to the bathroom, the backpack thrown over her shoulder, and Esme followed. Once in the bathroom, Alice placed bottles of shampoo and conditioner and at least five different types of body wash and soap on the shower ledge. "Wash your hair twice. And don't forget to use this!" I laughed at her pushiness as she held up a bottle; it reminded me of my mom when she was trying to give me a make over. I climbed into the shower and did as she said, knowing that arguing would be pointless.

After stepping out of the shower, I carefully dried off, making sure not to pull at my side. Apparently I'd fractured some ribs or broken some or something…either way, they hurt when I moved too much. I realized that Alice had left a stack of folded clothes and I changed into the loose blouse and lounge pants, aware that I didn't own any clothes even remotely like this. The clothes fit perfectly, which was a bit confusing, as I'd never met these women before…but maybe the doctor had looked at my clothes, I told myself.

When I stepped out of the room, Alice immediately had her arm around me again, and helped me move to a chair rather than the bed. "Um…these aren't my clothes." I told her hesitantly.

She giggled. "Oh I know. You gave me an excuse to go shopping."

"I…I mean…I can pay you back…" I offered hesitantly, although judging from the tags in a language I couldn't read, I doubted it.

"Don't worry about it. I got myself plenty of stuff too." She placed the bag beside the chair and Esme moved to sit in a chair beside me while Alice crouched in front of me, staring at me critically. "Hm…" She reached for my hand, staring at it for a minute, then nodding. "Definitely blue." She mumbled, digging around in the bag once more.

"Um….what's she doing?" I looked over at Esme hesitantly who laughed.

"I find it's best to just let her have her fun. I'm sure it's nothing bad." Then Alice pulled out a bottle of…nail polish. I stared at her in confusion while she took my hand.

"Oh, Esme. Go ahead and do the mask!"

"Pardon?" I managed to squeak when she began applying a file to my nails.

"A face mask. It's spa day, silly."

"You don't have to…"

"I want to. Here." She handed a smiling Esme a little packet and I winced at the image on the front.

"I'm going to look ridiculous." Already my voice was more resigned than I would have liked and I wondered at her ability to have this affect on me…but she acted as though she knew me…as though we'd been friends for years, and this was a common occurrence between us, made all the more strange by the fact that I'd never had a friend like this…and I knew that I would love a friend like Alice…no…I would love to be Alice's friend.

"No one's going to come in." Alice told me as though I were the one being silly. "The door's shut, and Carlisle told the nurses that you were with us today."

Esme laughed and began gently threading her fingers through my thick wet hair, somehow never managing to pull or snag any of it. She wrapped it in a towel and gently began rubbing something goopy on my face. "You're seventeen, Bella?"

"Yes…" I kept my eyes closed as she moved her fingers around my lids.

"So you're the same age as Edward and Alice." She told me as she ran her fingers over my forehead. "What made you transfer in the middle of your junior year?" She wondered.

"My mom remarried…and her husband travels a lot, so I thought I'd spend some time with…in Forks." If she noticed my hesitation she didn't comment, only continuing the soothing motion of applying the goop to my face. Alice switched to my other hand; her cold hands gentle as she filed my nails, then began applying a clear coat.

"Did you dislike her husband?" Esme asked gently.

"No…he's fine. He loves my mom." I trailed off, not sure how to explain it. "But…she wasn't getting to spend much time with him, and she felt bad about leaving me behind all the time. So I offered to come here."

"Where are they now?" She wondered.

"I'm not sure…they were going to go a couple of places…Phil plays baseball…minor league, and he's trying to get signed."

"Ah. Do you like baseball?"

I had to smile a little. "Not at all." I laughed, surprising myself with the sound. "It was boring…going to the games with her."

There was a smile in Esme's voice. "Do you enjoy playing it?" Alice paused, then continued where she was rummaging through her bag that apparently had a hundred nail polish containers in it as she muttered about a shade of blue and Edward…whatever that meant.

"Um…I've never played…I'm really bad at sports." Alice giggled suddenly and then began applying some kind of polish…probably a clear coat, to my toes. "Do you like baseball?"

"Yes. We often play together as a family in a field by our house." She informed me serenely. "It's a nice way to spend time together…although you ought to hear my boys argue. It's appalling really…you'd think they were raised by wolves!" I laughed aloud, feeling something in my chest loosen, and making her fingers pause where they were finishing up my face.

"You sound like my mom." I laughed. Opening my eyes, I found her smiling down at me sweetly, pulling her hands back as her eyes met mine. Once again I noticed that they all had the same eye color…that strange shade of honey brown…all in different variations of brightness…

After a second, she stepped back. "I'm going to go wash this off my hands. Just let it sit for a while…I believe the package said ten minutes. That's plenty of time for Alice to finish up." With that, she turned and headed for the bathroom.

"Okay, what do you think?" Alice held up one of my hands and I was surprised to find my nails a deep, beautiful blue that matched the shirt she'd given me. My surprised smile must have spoken for itself because she grinned. "I thought so. Now for your toes." She spoke cheerfully and I leaned forward.

"Thank you Alice." I murmured. She glanced up at me with a grin.

"No problem. This is fun. Maybe we can go shopping next time." I couldn't quite hide my grimace and she laughed aloud. "Oh, I almost forgot! She exclaimed, grinning up at me, then jumping up, somehow not upsetting the bottle of polish. "I brought you something else." She pulled something else out of the bag and my breath caught.

"I thought you'd like something to read while you're here, and I had an extra copy laying around the house." I couldn't tell if she was lying or not, but my eyes filled when I saw the worn copy of Pride and Prejudice in her hands. "No! Don't you dare start crying." She smiled tenderly thought, reaching out and petting my hand in a way that somehow felt kind instead of condescending. "You'll ruin all of Esme's hard work."

"Alice…thank you so much." I whispered, making a concentrated effort not to cry. "I love it."

"I knew you would." She grinned and went back to painting my toes.

After my nails were painted, my mask was peeled off and my face rinsed to reveal softer skin than I'd had since being born, they stepped back and beamed at me, making heat rise to my face. "Now that you look presentable…" Alice grinned, letting me know that she was teasing. "…let's go."

"Um…go where?" I asked hesitantly. She threw a familiar arm around my shoulder and giggled.

"Down to the cafeteria. It's time for lunch." I started to argue, but before I could claim that I wasn't hungry, I realized that I was…I was legitimately, properly hungry, and my stomach growled softly, making Alice laugh as she pulled me toward the door. A pair of flip-flops where placed in front of me and then we left, making our way out into the hallway. As we walked to the elevator, Alice kept my hand firmly in hers and I couldn't help but be comforted. Esme walked closely on my other side, chatting with me quietly about school and asking me questions about my home in Arizona and my school there…what kind of classes I'd taken, what I enjoyed. But there was something underneath her casual attitude…she acted as though she truly wanted to get to know me…as if learning about me was her priority, and not just making me feel comfortable.

The cafeteria was starting to fill up with patients and visitors, so Esme walked over to the tables to save us one, and Alice stayed by my side while we waited. After a few minutes in line, I glanced back to find Carlisle, in his lab coat, sitting at Esme's side as they spoke quietly, their heads close together. "So what would you like Bella?" Alice asked, pulling my attention back to her.

"Um…a sandwich I guess?" She made a grand gesture toward the menu and I laughed, stepping forward and ordering a turkey Panini and a soda along with an apple, then turned to Alice.

"Oh, I'm not hungry. Esme and I ate before we came." She told me simply.

"Are you sure? Do you want a drink or something?"

"Nope. I'm fine. I'm not thirsty." Something about the smile on her face when she said that made me pause, but I dismissed it.

Her parents looked up with peaceful smiles when we joined them, and I wondered if I'd ever seen Carlisle look so…content. A little self consciously, I opened the box my sandwich was in and took a small bite, then immediately took another. I'd been living on water and the least amount of applesauce I could get away with for the last few days, and this was delicious. Carlisle smirked at me and I blushed, staring down at my plate. Thankfully, there was no 'I told you so.' Instead, he grew a little solemn and I felt Alice's hand on my knee. "Bella, I think you're nearly well enough to be released." He said quietly. "I don't want to keep you here for too long…I'm sure you'd like to get back to your life…I believe tonight will be your last night here." His voice was gentle and I frowned a little, feeling tendrils of fear snake around my heart.

"Does that mean…have you been able to get ahold of my mom?"

"No." He sighed. "We have not…"

"You don't think…did something happen?" I asked, my voice small, and he shook his head with a reassuring smile.

"No, I believe we just have an outdated number…or maybe she changed numbers and forgot to give you the new one?" I had to smile a little…that sounded like her. "Is there any other way you can contact her?" I thought for a moment, then realized that I'd been stupid to forget.

"She promised me she'd email me…I forgot…can I use a computer here?" He nodded, his eyes lightening, and I was glad he wasn't irritated with me.

"If you can give me her email, I can send her a note from the hospital…if that is preferable." I nodded a little in relief. I didn't know if I could be the one to tell her that Charlie was dead. I was doing my best not to even think about it. He handed me a small notebook and a pen and I wrote her email address. "I'll go send the email and let you get back to your lunch and…what was it you were doing Alice?" He asked in amusement, glancing down at my blue nails.

"A spa day." She said, sticking her tongue out at him, and he chuckled.

"Ah yes. Your 'spa day.'" Bending over, he kissed Esme briefly, then ruffled Alice's hair. I wonder if he saw the brief pain in my eyes that bordered on a longing I didn't understand, because he touched the top of my head, smiling down at me.

"I'll let you know as soon as I hear from your mother." He promised, leaving me alone with Alice and Esme in the crowded cafeteria.

* * *

The girl was beautiful…of course he'd already know that…even under the blood and dirt, he'd found her beautiful…now that he thought back on it. But in Alice's mind he saw her in that blue shirt that made her skin look like cream…and her large, expressive brown eyes that lit up when she laughed, and the way her long hair shone in the light, hints of red showing…and he wondered how it would feel to stroke her hair…to caress her cheek…and his whole being seemed to heat up in a strangely unfamiliar way…

Jerking out of his daze, he realized that Jasper was staring at him strangely. "You okay?" His brother asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Fine." Edward faked a grin and turned back to his book, although he wasn't really reading. 'I could visit her too…maybe just stand outside her door at first…there has to be a way to get around that scent…' He doubted it, but something about her made him want to try. His mother was utterly taken with the girl and Alice…well she was hiding something from him. Once again he thought of the way she'd smiled at Alice…the way she'd laughed along with his mother and sister, the sound enough to make his body catch fire without understanding why.

And it wasn't just Esme and Alice. Emmett had seemed to care for the girl immediately…showing her more kindness and gentleness than he ever had a human before, as though it were Alice or Esme that was hurt, and not some girl he'd never met before. And Carlisle! The man's thoughts were occupied with the girl so often that Edward was half annoyed and half grateful. Honestly he was leaning more toward grateful. The first few days when she hadn't woken, he'd found himself worrying as much as Emmett, though only Jasper had any insight into his emotions. He kept away from the rest of his family to hide it, and Jasper didn't call him out. His brother was good for keeping secrets. And then when she'd woken…it had been worse.

He could see the girl in his father's mind, the way she would stare dully at the wall, how she would answer his questions in a defeated monotone…how her face seemed imperceptibly thinner, her body growing weaker every day as she barely ate. But then Esme and Alice had visited her. As soon as they'd come home, he'd hidden away in his room with the door firmly shut, a sign to everyone that he wanted to be left alone, and took in the imagines in their minds…the feel of the girl in Esme's arms, fragile and warm…her hot tears nearly scalding, the way she apologized over and over when she cried, and he felt his heart clench in pain for her. He wanted to hold her for reasons he couldn't understand. He wanted to be the one that pulled her into his arms and comforted her.

Then, as they played with her, cleaning her up, pampering her almost against her will, dressing her up…he'd seen her laugh and smile and almost felt her hand that was held securely in Alice's. It had taken him hours to compose himself enough to go down and join his family, but still Jasper kept shooting him odd looks from his position beside Alice on the sofa. But he was preoccupied with another mystery.

Usually humans in distress had a million thoughts scattered in their brain, incoherent, but audible. Not this girl. It was what had surprised him the most under the blood lust. He hadn't been able to hear a thing from this girl's mind. Nothing. Not a stray thought, not a hint of fear or pleading…her mind was silent. He'd never met someone whose mind was silent…_everybody_ had thoughts! Some were quieter than others, like Charlie Swan. He'd always seemed a little slow in his thoughts…Edward paused.

'Maybe he wasn't slow in his thoughts. Maybe he was just able to hide them like this girl.'

'What's the matter Edward?' Jasper asked silently.

Edward looked up in surprise at his brother's question and shook his head. Alice glanced over at him and grinned, the barest hint of a vision, himself standing in a meadow where he liked to go, peeked through. "What are you hiding Alice?" He finally asked. The girl only smirked at him and stuck out her tongue.

"You can't know yet." She teased, although her eyes were serious. "It has to happen." She said firmly. Rolling his eyes at his cryptic sister, he stood and went outside, standing on the porch as he stared out at the colors of the forest and the brook, every leaf and twig as clear and sharp as though there a foot away from him.

He almost didn't realize when he'd started to move, his body carrying him out into the woods, but then his thoughts caught up, surprising him. 'I'll just hunt first. That should make it easier. I'll hunt, and then I'll go see this girl for myself.'

**Thank you all for reading :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed. **

**Hi guest who reviewed about the HIPPA thing. Yes, I did know about that (Giving out private patient information gets you in bunches of trouble for anyone who didn't know. I worked at a nursing home and my mom works for a company that handles information like that and has worked at two nursing homes so I'm pretty well informed about that.) So here's my reasoning. Carlisle's son reads minds. There's no way he's keeping anything from Edward. Plus, we saw in the books that Edward saw Bella's X-rays (That was from Midnight Sun). There aren't really any secrets in his family, and I don't think anyone would be able to find out that he shared that information, especially since they won't use that information in any way except to know more about Bella. Thanks for reviewing **** Hope that clears it up a bit.**

That evening found me sitting up in bed, my tired eyes eagerly tracing the familiar words of Jane Austen as I forgot that I was in a hospital and that I somehow already missed Alice and Esme in favor of thinking about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett. Laughing softly at one of Lydia's lines and fighting to keep my eyes open, I didn't even notice when Carlisle stepped in. He must have stood there for some time before I felt the other presence in the room, and my cheeks flushed when I realized I'd been ignoring him. "I'm sorry!" I cried. "I didn't see…"

He chuckled, shaking his head, his golden eyes showing how happy he was. "Forgive me, Bella. I should have knocked louder. I myself have been difficult to speak to when I was reading." I had no idea why he was so happy, but assumed it was because he'd been able to see his wife and daughter all day…he seemed to truly love his family. "I see you are a fan of Jane Austen." He grinned, stepping forward and standing beside the end of the bed.

"Yes!" I cried a bit too eagerly, but books tended to have that effect on me. "I think Pride and Prejudice is my favorite. I had a copy of all her works but…" I trailed off, suddenly remembering they'd been in my suitcase of belongings in the car during the wreck. "I left it back in Arizona." I lied finally, forcing myself to smile although I could see he wasn't fooled. Still, he nodded, and pulled my chart from the end of my bed, flipping through a few pages, and then walked to the side of my bed, holding out a hand for my wrist, which I reluctantly gave him, letting him check my pulse, then sat still as he took my blood pressure.

"Alright. Everything looks good. I'm heading home for the night. Just call for a nurse if you need help…of course you probably know that as well as I do." In surprise, I looked up at the clock and realized it was nearly midnight. He laughed at my expression, gently taking the book and marking my place with the piece of paper I'd been using. "And _you_ need to sleep." He smiled when I grinned ruefully, then turned out the light beside my bed, reaching out and resting a hand on the top of my head. "Goodnight Bella."

"Goodnight, Carlisle." I realized my lids were heavy and let them win, relaxing back on the pillows and falling asleep so quickly after such a busy day that I was asleep before I heard him shut the door.

* * *

I dreamed about the wreck…lying on the ground, sobbing...but this time the boy stayed crouched by my side, his face a blur, but his butterscotch eyes were full of the same confusion and pain they had held that night, and I remembered his name. "Edward?" I asked. But my unconscious brain couldn't figure out how I knew his name, and furthermore it didn't care. "Help? Please. Help Charlie. Please?" I felt hot tears fall from my eyes, but he didn't move, only stared at me sadly. "Please!" I screamed it this time, forcing my arm to reach out. "Edward, help him, please!" Suddenly cold hands held me still and I stopped fighting, my body jerking in surprise at the contact.

"Shh. It's okay." The voice was gentle, a cool finger just barely caressing my cheek, and I forced my eyes open to find…no one.

Sitting up as quickly as I could, I looked around anxiously, my eyes wide in fear. "Hello?" My voice was more a whimper than a question as I glanced at the call button, and there was a soft sigh, and then a figure emerged from the shadows.

"Don't be frightened." A gentle voice pleaded, and I was surprised to recognize the voice. "I'm sorry…I was walking by your room and I heard you yell…" He stepped into the dim light and I recognized him.

"Edward Cullen?" I asked softly, and he gave me a small smile.

"Yes. Hello." I stared at him incredulously for a moment, the boy who'd saved my life, and bit my lip.

"Um…I never…I didn't get to….thank you." I stammered, my face heating up. For a moment his face was pained, but he forced a small smile.

"You're welcome." He smiled easily, stepping a little closer, and I was able to make out his features in the moonlight streaming in from the window…tousled hair, tall, thin build…he reached over for the lamp and looked at me, as if to ask permission, and I nodded silently. He clicked on the light and I immediately was drawn to his eyes…the same honey brown as his adopted mother and father, and as Alice. "Are you alright? Do you want me to call for someone?" He seemed concerned and started to take a step closer, but grimaced and turned his head away.

"No, I'm fine…" I stared at him in confusion. "Are _you_ okay? You look…sick…" He grinned a little, turning back to look at me.

"I'm fine." He assured me. "So…um…" He stammered a bit, looking around hesitantly, then spoke abruptly. "I'll…go then. Sorry to wake you…" I nodded, blushing once more and staring at the blankets as he paused, then left. "Goodnight, Bella."

"Goodnight, Edward." I mumbled, dropping back onto the pillow once the light was off and the door shut behind him. "Well that was odd." I laughed a little to myself, staring at the ceiling until I fell back to sleep. 'What on earth was he doing at the hospital?'

* * *

Usually I was awake when Carlisle came in every morning, but this morning it was the sound of the door shutting softly that woke me. "I'm sorry." He apologized softly as I sat up, rubbing at my eyes. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yea, I think I was just really tired…" I opened my mouth to ask about his son…about what Edward would have been doing at the hospital to come into my room in the middle of the night, but something made me change my mind as he watched me expectantly. "Um…thank you again for having Esme and Alice come…I mean…could you thank them for me? It was really kind of them…" I trailed off, looking down at the blankets, and felt a strange warmth in my heart when he touched my shoulder.

"They were more than happy to visit you. Alice is quiet taken with you, I believe." He chuckled. "She wanted to do it again today, but I insisted she go to school." I smiled, blushing a little and looking at the floor as he stepped closer, gently touching my side over the shirt I wore. "How are your sides feeling? And I challenge you to answer without using the word 'fine'." He told me wryly, his lips turned up in a smirk when I reddened once more.

"Um…okay." He lifted an eyebrow. "Still sore, but mostly better." I tried again.

"Good. You'll be sore for a while, so take pain medication, probably Tylenol or ibuprofen if you need it. If you get any kind of persistent headache, dizziness, blurred vision, trouble concentrating…you'll need to come back in immediately, do you understand? You're concussion wasn't severe, but it is always important to be careful about head injuries. Alright?" I nodded once more. "Okay, I was able to get a hold of your mother…I actually just spoke to her on the phone this morning…" He trailed off a bit and immediately I panicked.

"Is something wrong with her?"

"No, not at all. Though of course she was worried about you…and she was rather upset when she heard about what happened. I promised I would have you give her a call…" I nodded. He placed a piece of paper with a phone number I didn't recognize on the table and squeezed my shoulder. "I'll let you call her…I'll come back in a little while and we can talk about releasing you. If she's unable to come and get you immediately, you're welcome to stay here for another few nights...the bill has already been taken care of." He assured me softly.

"Thank you Dr. Cul…Carlisle." His severe look disappeared and he chuckled when I corrected myself, shutting the door behind him as he left.

* * *

Carlisle leaned against the wall, pretending to read through his files…only a little ashamed to be eavesdropping. The woman had been borderline hysterical on the phone and he had hoped she wouldn't further upset her daughter…on the contrary, the girl sounded completely calm and collected, comforting her mother as the woman nearly screamed in her ear.

"Mom, I'm okay. I promise. It's fine. I know I haven't answered your emails…I'm sorry you've been worried. No one's been to the house to answer the phone. Yes, I've been in the hospital. No, I'm okay. Just a little sore. No, I didn't need surgery. I'm perfectly fine…" Carlisle frowned a little as she downplayed her injuries. "No, you don't need to come down here, Mom. I still want to live here." Carlisle's eyes widened as he stood straight, dropping the pretense of skimming a file. "Yea, Billy Black offered me a place to stay…yea. Billy, Dad's old friend." There was a long pause and he wished he could hear her mother. "Honestly I'd rather be here than traveling all the time with you and Phil, and you're going to be away so much anyway….no, I'm not letting you stay home all the time with me. I'll be going to college soon, and Phil needs to be signed as soon as possible, right?"

Carlisle waited in tense, unbelieving silence. "Exactly. Thanks mom…yea just fax the stuff to the school and the hospital….the address should be in the note Dr. Cullen sent right? Yea. Don't forget…can you get to a computer now? Yes, you can look it up online. No mom, just _Google_ the school's….no just ask Phil. Okay, I'll see you at Christmas. Love you. Bye." His mouth dropped open before he realized it, and he hastily composed himself before anyone could catch him staring at the girl's closed door so strangely.

'Her mother agreed? She agreed to let her seventeen-year-old daughter live with…some man she doesn't know? Or at least hasn't seen in years? I mean…the man has a son and raised two daughters, and I'm sure he's only being kind…but she's leaving her daughter here after her father died right in front of her? Why does Bella even want to stay?'

Of course the answer came quickly enough. She was doing this for her mother and stepfather. She didn't want to disrupt their lives. The idea made him sigh sadly, leaning against the wall as he collected himself. Then suddenly he heard a quiet sob, and then another, each more heart broken than the last, and he could no longer restrain himself. Stepping quickly into her rom and quietly shutting the door behind him, he moved to her side and put his arms around her. "Bella…" He murmured, rubbing her back gently, but she only shook her head and cried on his shoulder. "Are you sure about this?" He asked finally, forgetting the fact that he'd been pretending not to eavesdrop on her. It certainly wasn't his place to tell her what to do, and he had hoped to continue to interact with the girl, especially considering how much Esme loved her already, but this was hurting her. 'I'm getting attached.' He thought in resignation as the girl nodded against his shoulder.

"I'm sure." She wiped her eyes, sitting up and staring at him resolutely. "I have to call Billy…hopefully he meant it."

Carlisle bit back a sigh as he left the girl to make her phone call. She wouldn't be left homeless...he'd let her stay with them if it came down to it. He sat down in his office, his head in his hands as he debated about calling his wife.

* * *

I knew that Billy Black was surprised to hear from me. His son, Jacob, answered the phone, and it took me a minute to remember that he even had a son. But after explaining to Billy that I needed a place to stay in Forks and asking if the offer was still available, he told me that they had a spare room for me, and that they would come pick me up whenever I needed them to.

I placed the phone back in the receiver and sighed, leaning back against the back of the bed, trying not to think about the fact that I was accepting charity from my dead father's friend.. It would be nice not to be in a hospital anymore…but I hadn't allowed myself to think about what would happen once I was released. I didn't dare…that would be imagining a future without Charlie…without my father who sent me birthday cards every year, who I visited maybe twice a year…but who was still such an undeniable part of my life…a presence that I took for granted. I would never have a better relationship with my father. He would never walk me down the aisle…he wouldn't hold any children I had…he'd never hug me again, or call me 'Bells' or…I cut the thoughts off when I felt my eyes sting.

There was a hesitant knock on the door and Carlisle stood in the doorway once more, eyeing me cautiously, and I felt bad about crying on him once again. He'd been so unfailingly kind, and I knew it made him sad when I was so upset. I'd never had such a wonderful doctor before…and I'd had a lot of doctors. "Were you able to reach them?"

"Yea, they said they'd come by and pick me up." I smiled at him and he stepped forward into the room then, touching my shoulder.

"That's good. I have your papers here…you're mother faxed us everything…."He placed the papers in my lap and I folded them absently while he produced a large cloth bag and sat it on the bed beside me. "These are from Alice…she is very fond of shopping." He smiled wryly and I grimaced at him.

"If they were expensive…"

"Please don't worry about it. She's having her fun…" He hesitated for a minute, then squeezed my shoulder quickly. "I'll let you get ready, and I'll come and get you when Billy arrives."

* * *

I looked up at the doctor as Billy's son, Jacob held the door open for me, waiting with a hand out to help me climb into the truck. "Take care of yourself, Bella." Carlisle, who had brought me out in a wheelchair, told me seriously. "I hope to see you again soon, but not here." I laughed softly.

"Thank you so much, Carlisle." He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently.

"It was my pleasure. I'm glad my sons found you. Goodbye, Bella." There was a note of regret in his voice and I could sympathize, although I doubted this man realized how much I had come to rely on him. Surging forward at the last second, I threw my arms around him, something that felt more natural that I could have believed possible, and he hugged me gently, me barely taking note of his cold skin.

"Bye, Carlisle."

I took Jacob's hand with a smile of thanks, and let him help me into the truck, moving slowly because of my side. I glanced up once more and saw as Carlisle met Billy's eyes, and for a second I thought he looked…upset? Angry? As though he were…warning him. I glanced over at Billy who looked equally severe, and then back at Carlisle, but the pale man was already making his way back into the hospital. Jacob climbed into the back of the truck, shutting both doors, and we were off.

Billy Black drove us down the road and toward the reservation, with me in the front, and Jacob in the back, both shooting glances at me. "Thank you so much for this, Billy. I really appreciate it…it'll only be for this next year, and then I'll be gone…and I'll get a job…and I…"  
"Nonsense Bella." He spoke easily. "Charlie was practically family, and we don't turn away family. You have a place with us for as long as you need it." He promised, reaching over and patting me on the knee like a grandfather. "We can take you by the house sometime…when you're ready. You can take whatever you like…he owned the house, so you've inherited that too. You can always move in there when you graduate."

I didn't tell him that I'd rather burn the place down than live in it…I didn't know if I could even bring myself to visit the place where my father had spent his life. Soon we passed through the tiny city, and Billy pointed out landmarks as we drove in a matter of fact tone. "There's the post office. Here's a grocery store…one of the chain places. And there are some restaurants down there…a pizza place too. Here's the Forks branch of the library…it's pretty small, but Charlie mentioned you liked to read." I thought of my new copy of Pride and Prejudice in the small bag sitting at my feet and smiled, ignoring the way his name seemed to prick my heart. "The guys down at the station had your suitcase and stuff…I picked it up on my way to the hospital, and it's in the back."

"Thank you." I told him softly, glad that I wouldn't have to face anyone from the police station or go to his house.

"No problem. We didn't have time to set up a room for you, but you can have one of the spare rooms, if that's okay." I shook my head.

"I can sleep on the couch if…"  
"Don't be silly. You'll have your own room, else I wouldn't have offered. We have two extra bedrooms, so I gave you the bigger one. My own daughter hasn't used it since she moved away. It's not much, but it's all yours." Feeling awkward and wanting to apologize again for inconveniencing him, I decided to just nod my head and smile a little, then went back to gazing out the window as we passed a sign welcoming us to La Push.

Billy Black's house was pretty small, with plenty of rooms crammed in…the kitchen and living room seemed kind of smashed together, and down a short hallway were four small bedrooms, a bathroom, and a linen closet. Bill's was the first on the right, and Jacob told me that his was the second on the right. Mine was, apparently across from his. "Sorry there's only one bathroom." He told me, his manner as easy as his father's. "You can have dibs in the morning if you want." He offered, and I realized I'd been rude to him.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to completely ignore you…I'm usually a lot nicer."

He grinned, but his eyes turned a little softer. "Hey, don't worry about it. I totally get it. You be as rude as you want. I don't mind." I laughed a little with him, then stepped into the bedroom he pointed out as mine.

It looked like a guest room, with a regular sized bed covered in a comforter with a generic geometric pattern, a dresser that took up most of one short wall, a small bookshelf that doubled as an end table, and a little desk. In the closet were several empty hangers. "If you need anything, just call, okay?" Jacob peeked in with a grin and I smiled at him softly.

"Thank you, Jacob." Something shifted for a moment in his eyes then…a gentle interest I couldn't quite put a name to filling his face, and then he was gone, closing the door behind him, and I sat on the bed, wincing when it squeaked loudly.

I stepped over to the side of the bed and found my suitcase, hesitantly opening it and sighing when, right on top; I found my book full of Jane Austen works. I placed it in the bookshelf by itself, then grabbed Pride and Prejudice and placed it beside the thicker volume. Moving on to my clothes…or the meager collection of things I had that would be warm enough for this cold, rainy place, I began to put them away as well, barely filling even one drawer in the dresser or one half of the closet. In less than a half hour, I was done unpacking and checked the clock to find it was only noon. As if realizing the time, my stomach growled softly, and I debated on whether or not to leave the relative safety of my room to find food.

* * *

Edward clenched his hands and sat on the sofa in his room, although this position was no more (or less) comfortable than standing. 'Her skin…it was so soft. And when she called out my name…' He groaned. 'What am I doing? This is bad…this is a terrible idea. I can't. I cannot be this attracted to a human girl!' But then he remembered the silky feel of her skin, her soft, shiny hair that brushed his hand, her large brown eyes staring at him in fear, and then surprised confusion. The way she'd giggled after he shut her door…he found himself smiling and shook his head.

Carlisle had told them all that she was staying in Forks for the time being…mostly because she didn't want to interfere with her mother's life. As much as Edward hated that the girl was so miserable, he couldn't help but hope she'd go to their high school. To be in the same building with this silent minded girl would be it's own form of torture, but he couldn't want it more.

He'd stood outside her room for hours, keeping out of sight of the nurses easily enough, and concentrating on her scent. He could smell it a bit through the door, and thought he was accustoming himself to it. Then he'd opened her door, just a crack, and had slipped inside, shutting it behind him, and had nearly been undone. Her scent, which had been barely a trace outside in the hall, seemed to hit him full force once again. After a second, he'd breathed it in deeply, ignoring the painful burn in his throat as he watched her sleep. 'Worth it.' He'd told himself simply as he had tried to read her once again. Her mind was as silent as ever, but to his guilty delight, her lips were not.

'She talks in her sleep!' He'd realized with happy surprise as she mumbled about hospital food, making him laugh silently. It was too good to pass up. He moved to the corner, hidden in the shadows, and listened to her breath, to her heart beating steadily…to the words she would mumble every few minutes. Sometimes she would toss and turn in her sleep, but mostly she was still, giving him plenty of time to think.

'Why am I so interested in this girl? Because she smells so good? Because her mind is impossible to read? Because she's…' He didn't have a good enough adjective for this girl, but he knew she was selfless and kind and just good…something about her exuded goodness…maybe it was her eyes, gentle and expressive, or the way he'd seen her smile at Carlisle in his memories, how she'd tried not to upset him, even when she was in so much pain. He remembered the way she'd sounded on the phone in Carlisle's mind…how she'd cried afterward…Or maybe it was something he couldn't describe…something that drew people, his family especially, to her. Whatever Esme had done had worked…the girl had been drawn out, smiling and giggling with Alice, thanking his sister until the pixie had teased her into stopping. Strangely enough, she'd been touched by vampires several times…even more so than she usually was with Carlisle, and never seemed to mind their cold skin. But he worried a little…about the way she would peer into their eyes, her intelligent mind working behind her own expressive eyes, and he knew that she'd noticed the similarities.

'But now she's going to live with Billy Black…the one place I'm expressly forbidden to go.' He thought mulishly, knowing he couldn't break the treaty, but also hating not being able to be around her…to visit her in the night like he had before. 'But…what would happen? If she caught me again? Or if…if we became friends at school? Or more?' He sighed sadly. She'd called for him in her sleep, but she'd been having a nightmare about the car crash he was pretty sure. 'She doesn't even know me…I've spoken to her twice, and she was lying in a pool of her own blood the first time.' He pushed his depressing thoughts away.

* * *

'If she's in my class…maybe I'll get to see her…and if this goes any further…well I'll just talk to Carlisle. He'll know what to do.'

Stepping into the empty kitchen, I decided to go ahead and cook for Billy and Jacob. I had no idea what they liked, however, and decided to settle for baked chicken, since the only other things in their pantry were a few nearly empty bags of chips, canned soup, and some crackers. Jacob wandered in a few minutes after I'd finished breading the chicken and was about to place it in the oven. "Mm, what's that?" He wondered, running a hand through his long hair and tying it back in a ponytail.

"Just chicken. You guys need to go grocery shopping." He smiled a little self-consciously.

"Yea…I think we have some fish in the freezer." He pointed out, and I rolled my eyes. There was something about Jacob that made it impossible to be uncomfortable around him, something I was grateful for.

"I don't think you guys even have bread."

"There's some in the pantry!" He cried, his lips turning up at the corners.  
"It was blue and fuzzy! I threw it out." He winced a little, then shrugged easily.

"Alright…he was going to send me some time this week anyway."

"I can go." I told him suddenly, then reddened a little. "I mean, I can go with you…if you don't mind…I don't have a car yet but…"

"Did Billy not tell you?"

"Tell me what?" I wondered.

"Well, I guess he was busy…or you weren't…well anyway, your dad bought his old truck for you…" The look on my face made him pause and he stepped closer as I reached out for the counter to help support myself. "Hey? You okay? I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…"

"No. You didn't do anything. I um…thank you for telling me."

"Yea no problem…we can go pick it up if you want….it's at his house." I bit my lip for a second…I didn't want to go there…but I also wanted a way to get around.

"Do you mind?" I asked quietly, and he smiled at me, his dark eyes softening.

"Nah. We'll go after we eat, okay? Then you can do all the grocery shopping you like." Looking at his open face…his easy grin, I had to smile a little, even if I was reeling.

'He bought me a truck. He wanted to surprise me…and he bought me a truck so I'd like living here." I set the timer on the oven, then stepped outside, dropping down on the porch and fighting the heavy feeling in my chest and the stinging in my eyes.

"I really am sorry…" Jacob sat down beside me on the porch, although I hadn't heard him approach. "My mom died a while back…I really miss her. So I kind of get it." He spoke clumsily, and although his words didn't help, I appreciated the effort.

"Thanks Jacob."

"So…um…you going to school tomorrow?"

"Yea…it's my first day…you go to school on the reservation, right?"

"Yea, most of us do. Hey maybe I can introduce you to some of the guys later…Quill and Embry. They're pretty cool…and since you don't know anybody around here…well there's other people too. Like Seth and Leah…they're nice. Their dad used to give your…um, he makes really good fish fry." I was glad he'd corrected himself. "And, uh…well I don't really know many people in town, but sometimes kids from there come down to the beaches here." He continued to ramble aimlessly, with me nodding and occasionally speaking a few words, until the timer on the oven beeped and Billy emerged from his room.

"What are you two up to?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he rolled himself into the kitchen.

"Bella made lunch. And she thinks we need more food, so we'll need some money for groceries." Billy laughed when my face reddened.

"Yea, I guess we're going to need to get some more food from now on…no don't apologize Bella. Thanks for making lunch though. You know you don't have to do that."

"I don't mind." I assured him. I truly didn't. Cooking was something I always did…it was a routine that kept me sane when it felt like I was going to fall apart. So I'd gladly take over the duties as their personal chef.

As soon as we finished eating and Jacob and I cleaned up (I tried to do it myself but Jacob insisted) we climbed into his truck they'd borrowed from someone, because apparently Jacob was in the process of rebuilding a car, and he headed for town. I stared at my lap the whole time as he chattered. "So how about we go grocery shopping first, then we can pick up your truck on the way home?"

"Sounds fine to me." I told him, finally glancing up as we pulled onto the main road and headed for the grocery store.

"There's a grocery store on the res but I figured they'd have more stuff you like here…" I glanced up at him. "I mean…well they have a lot more stuff here…the grocery store at home is pretty small…like an old time general store honestly." I smiled a little as he continued his nervous chatter, glad that I apparently wasn't expected to talk much.

The chain store was still small, so I wondered how much smaller the one in La Push was. Jacob trailed behind me, apparently sensing that I knew what I was doing, even if he eyed some of my choices dubiously. "What is that?"

"It's called celery. Do you ever eat vegetable?" I cried.

"Are potatoes vegetables?"  
"Only if they aren't deep fried or covered in cheese and bacon." I grumbled.

"Then no." He chuckled. "What is it with girls and vegetables?" I rolled my eyes, not dignifying that with a response. Still, it was pleasant having Jacob around…he was sunny and sweet and awkward…like a little brother I'd never had, or a puppy, large and gangly, with soulful brown eyes and a nature that made him impossible to dislike.

After we finished the shopping, with the cart mostly loaded with pasta and rice and several colorful bags of fruit and vegetables, not to mention the chips and snack cakes that Jacob insisted on, he pulled out his wallet and paid, then we carried the bags out to the car and Jacob drove us to Charlie's to pick up my truck.

* * *

We put the groceries away in companionable silence broken only by his questions involving placement of the vegetables, and I tried not to think of the red truck now sitting in the driveway. It was exactly the kind of truck I would have picked…big and sturdy; a classic truck with a history. I loved old things…old books, old music…things that had been proven by time. I had no idea if Charlie had known that, but the gesture still made my eyes burn.

When we'd pulled into the driveway, I had very pointedly not looked in the direction of the house, instead focusing all my attention on the truck and then getting used to driving it. Despite a few little quirks, I instantly loved my new truck, and more than anything, I wished I could thank my dad. Jacob sent me glances as I grew solemn, his eyes gentle as mine filled suddenly.

"Hey…I know it's probably weird for you…I mean…with me and Billy…he was your dad's best friend though. Your dad was really great…" He trailed off, looking around the kitchen pathetically when a tear trailed down my cheek. "We, uh…we're glad to be able to help…" He bit his lip, leaning back on his heels. "I'm…I'm really sorry, Bella." He finally mumbled, reaching out awkwardly and putting a hand on my shoulder, then stepped close, putting his arms around me when I began to cry in earnest. "Hey…don't cry…it's okay." He mumbled, patting my back, and I found myself missing Carlisle's cold arms, and Esme's icy embrace…her beautiful voice wrapping around me as she hummed to me, letting me cy as she kept me safe.

'I barely know the woman.' I scolded myself halfheartedly. 'I've only known these people for a few days…why do I miss them so much? He's not my father…my father is gone.' The thought made my cry harder and I felt a little sorry for Jacob who led me over to a couch, sitting beside me and hovering, obviously not having any idea what he was supposed to do. "Sorry, Jacob." I managed. 'It's freaking him out…stop.' I told myself firmly, the same way I stopped myself when my mom caught me crying. "I'm okay…sorry." I took a deep shuddering breath and wiped my eyes quickly, forcing myself to smile. "Long day." I tried to excuse myself, and he laughed a little, his voice strained.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I get it. Um…you wanna go to bed or…"

"Yea. I'm kind of tired. I'll see you tomorrow, Jacob."

"Kay. Night Bella."

"Goodnight."

**Thank you all for reading **


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, first let me say thank you for the reviews and I truly appreciate and love it when people are excited for a chapter, but I'm going to say the same thing I said in People Will Talk. Demands for updates with no feedback… really kind of pointless and frustrating. I'm doing the best I can to keep updating quickly, because I love writing and I was **_**so**_** excited to start this story. So it's kind of hurtful when so many of the reviews that I'm getting are literally demands to write more and not telling me anything about the actual writing. I am in college and have several assignments to complete every day, so please try to understand that. Anyone who reviews knows that I respond to every single one (If I don't either it is from a guest and I cant or it literally got lost and I'm sorry) and I truly appreciate them. **

**Another thing. I understand that a lot of people hate Jacob/Bill. The way Jacob was in the later books, I didn't like him either. But he wasn't bad in Twilight…he had a crush on her, yea, but he wasn't a jerk about it until later. I've never read a story that has Bella dating Edward while forced to live with the Blacks and thought it would present a unique challenge. I hope you guys can accept that.**

** Sorry about the long A/N. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**

It was the cold that woke me, and I groaned irritably as the alarm beside my bed blared, slamming my hand down on the snooze button. Usually I was an early riser…but if it was cold, I could stay in bed all day. Glancing over at the window between the curtains, I could see frost on the glass and dropped back onto the pillow, cursing softly. "When I graduate, I'm going to college in California." I told myself. "Or Texas…it's never cold in Texas, right? Anywhere to get away from this cold that never freakin ends!" Sitting up blearily, I looked around the room and sighed a little, wondering if living here would ever stop feeling strange. The room reminded me of a motel, although Billy and Jacob had both been friendly enough.

True to his word, Jacob was nowhere to be found when I emerged from the bedroom, leaving me free to get ready in the bathroom, changing quickly when the cold seeped up through the linoleum floors. I wondered if Billy had a thermostat…and if they would notice if I turned it up. 'You could be staying alone at Charlie's.' I scowled at the thought. I would take cold floors over my dead father's house any day. I emerged from the bathroom, taking my plastic bag of toiletries back into my bedroom and dropping them in my suitcase. I had one winter coat, and so I wrapped it around me, checking the time and grabbing my backpack. I still had time to make breakfast.

"Morning Bella." Jacob greeted me cheerfully, his grin making me scowl and I mumbled something about irritating morning people. He laughed, heading into the bathroom while I moved into the kitchen, surprised to see a plate of waffles on the table.

"Jacob already ate his, so go ahead. Good morning Bella."

"Thanks Billy…" I stared at the plate in surprise, suddenly remembering sitting at this table as a kid, eating waffles with his two daughters. They'd bragged that their daddy made the best waffles in La Push…I smiled a little, sitting at the table and felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me. Of course, it had been summer in my memory, and the cold jolted me back to awareness as I stood and poured myself a glass of milk.

I turned to find Jacob stealing one of my waffles and acted on instinct, thinking of my mom when she would do the same when she didn't feel like making her own food. Grabbing a towel from the oven, I snapped it at him, catching him on the hand and making him yelp. "Hey!" He shouted, laughing as he rubbed his hand.

"You already had yours!" I informed him with a grin, grabbing my plate and sliding it away from him. He stuck his tongue out, going over to the refrigerator and pouring himself a glass of milk. As soon as I'd sat down, I was hit with a pang of sadness. 'This is _his _house.' I reminded myself painfully. 'You're just staying here…eating _his_ food and sitting at _his _table…' I winced a little, my appetite vanishing as I stared down at my plate. '_His_ father cooked these…I'm taking charity from these people.' I wondered what my face must have looked like because Billy turned to me, his eyes strangely gentle.

"Don't you take any crap from him, Bella. He knows where the food is if he wants more. He's just messing with you." Jacob turned in surprise to look at me and I flushed when I realized my eyes were wet. "You leave her alone, Jake." He ordered, swatting at his son and then looked at his watch, not giving the awkward teenagers any chance to try and talk it out. "Well, you'd better get going soon, Bella. You're going to want to drive slow…there's probably ice on the road." I nodded, standing quickly and pushing my plate toward Jacob, hurrying out the front door and not thinking about the look they were giving one another.

* * *

Billy had been right...there was ice on the road. A lot of it. I spent the drive out of La Push contemplating how much I hated cold weather…and winter…and snow and ice and any weather that wasn't summer or spring. Billy had sent me off nearly an hour early, but I knew that it would be slow going on the unfamiliar icy roads, and I really didn't want to get in another wreck…Carlisle would certainly be unhappy with me if I found myself back in his care so soon.

It wasn't the first time that I'd thought of the kind doctor, and I was surprised to find that I already missed him…as well as Esme and Alice. But according to Carlisle, all of his children attended Forks High School, so it was likely that I would see them around. And then my mind strayed to Edward….the handsome boy who'd saved me…who'd, for some reason or another, been in my hospital room that night when I'd had a nightmare. Who I'd only really spoken to once, but who, more and more often, would pop up in my thoughts at random moments, which made no sense to me.

I jerked to attention when I almost skidded on the ice and cursed the weather for the millionth time that morning. I also wondered if I would see Emmett, who was apparently Carlisle's oldest son? Or maybe second oldest. I wasn't sure how old the other one was…I couldn't remember his name, but I thought his twin sister was called Rose. All I knew was that Edward was the youngest.

I pulled carefully into the nearly empty parking lot and, looking around, found the main office building. Carefully parking out front, I made my way slowly inside and told the bored looking woman behind the desk my name. After receiving her condolences about my father that I blatantly ignored, I was given a map of the apparently expansive school, my class schedule that started with English, and a folder with a handbook, a sheet of paper to return to her at the end of the day, some information about school clubs, and a pamphlet about environmental sustainability. She directed me to the student parking lot, and I climbed back into my truck, drove over to the icy student lot, and parked, deciding to just stay in my truck for a bit, as almost no one else was here, and pulled my book from my backpack in favor of studying the campus map.

A little while later, I glanced up from Pride and Prejudice to see a beautiful sleek silver car pull into the other side of the lot, and I was surprised to see that there were already quite a few more cars filling in the spaces. Several figures emerged from the car as I was climbing carefully out of my truck, and I instantly recognized Alice, the big, vaguely familiar guy who must have been Emmett, and Edward, and then a beautiful blonde who had to be Rose, and the movie star handsome guy that was probably her twin brother. Edward looked up and caught my eye, and a slow, friendly smile formed on his face as he took a step toward me. But before I could raise my hand to wave, Alice gave a little cry of fear and Edward's face shifted into a mask of horror. Before I could figure out what was wrong, I was surprised to hear a loud screech that didn't quiet make sense. Turning toward the sound, I froze as the van came at me too quickly, and then I was tackled to the ground, my head slamming into the concrete.

* * *

Her head hit the concrete with a crack and Edward thought that his heart had started beating again and then stopped…painfully. 'Oh god…she already had a concussion…is she breathing? Please please let her be oaky…f*cking van!' He glared at the vehicle that came for her again, reaching out with one hand to stop it, then lifted her carefully and swung her feet out of the way when it would have crushed her again, hoping that his brothers would be able to smooth out the dent and get rid of the evidence…although he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. Swearing again, this time audibly, he glanced down at the girl, horrified to find her eyes shut. "Bella?" He mumbled her name, not daring to shake her, but touching her face gently, a part of his brain marveling at the warmth of her body. "Bella, can you hear me?"

Her eyes fluttered opened in a dazed way, and she looked around in surprise, then up at him. Exhaling in relief, he realized that he was holding her almost underneath him, his hand cupping the side of her head, then tried to dismiss the thought. "Bella? Are you alright?"

"Fine…" She mumbled a little dizzily. "Did you…how did you get over here so fast? You were…" She winced when she tried to sit up, her hand going to her side, and he gently held her down, careful to cushion her head.

"Stay still. You hit your head." He told her quietly as swarms of students began to surround the wreckage. "You sure you feel okay?"

"Mmhm." She blinked a few times, then winced. "Ouch." He had to smile a little, then turned his head at Emmett's anxious thoughts screaming at him from among the students.

'Is she okay!? Did you get her in time? Is she hurt? She hit her head again? I called Carlisle…an ambulance is coming!'

"Calm down." He muttered in dry amusement, although he understood his brother's worry for the girl. "She hit her head, but she's conscious and coherent. She's in pain though…thanks for calling Carlisle. Is Rose mad?" Bella didn't seem to notice him seemingly mumbling to himself as he continued to absentmindedly rub his thumb over her temple from where his hand was cupping her warm cheek. The fact that she seemed to lean into his hand made his heart feel strangely warm.

'Livid…but if you hadn't saved her, Alice or I would have. Da*n that girl's a magnet for danger.' Edward had to smirk at that.

"Jasper?" Both of his other siblings were out of range, but he could hear Alice's worried thoughts.

'Eh…you know him. He can't be angry with something that makes Alice happy…he's worried though.'

"He wouldn't risk doing anything that would hurt Alice."

'Exactly. Here's the ambulance. See you later.'

"Thanks Emmett."

* * *

Carlisle strode up to the small bed in the emergency room where I sat and touched my forehead, relieving the nurse standing beside me, and then gently moving his hands to my sides. "You've only been out of here one day, Bella." He said in mock exasperation. "Do you really love hospitals this much?" I winced a little when he pressed his hand against my side carefully.

"Yea that's it." I told him dryly, trying to ignore the pain. "I just can't manage to stay away from this place…thought I'd throw myself in front of a van…too bad your son had to save me again." He chuckled softly, taking his penlight and shining it in my eyes.

"Well you were very lucky. According to the X-rays there was no concussion, no more damage…how's your head?"

"The same."

"Good…but go home and rest for the rest of the day. Don't look at me like that." He scolded gently, squeezing my shoulder. "I know it's your first day back, but I want you at home, in bed, and I will tell Billy. You're so accident prone I'm afraid you'll fall on your way back to school and finally succeed in breaking your head open." I rolled my eyes at his chuckle and hopped off the bed with his help, although my heart felt warm as he teased me. "Billy is in the waiting room. If you start feeling any kind of dizziness or persistent headaches, make sure you come in immediately." He touched my back when I nodded, his eyes gentle as he smiled at me, and then turned to the boy sitting next to me whose apologies I'd begun tuning out. "You, however, will need to stay here for a while."

Edward had stayed the whole time, slightly off to the side, his casual stance undermined by the concern in his eyes. I glanced over at him, surprised to see that he looked a bit uncomfortable to be scrutinized by me, and I walked over to him. "Can I talk to you for a second?" I asked quietly.

"Um…" He glanced at Carlisle and his eyes narrowed imperceptibly. He sighed, nodding. "Yes." I nodded and hurried out into the hallway, Edward on my heels. "How did you get to me so fast?!" I spoke just above a whisper, stopping in the empty hallway and staring at him incredulously. "You were standing over by your family on the other side of the parking lot!" For a second, his eyes narrowed, and his breath came out in a sigh. "And how did you stop that van from hitting us! It almost fell on me!" I certainly remembered that…seeing the van rock as it nearly crushed me once he's stopped it the first time…right before I finally closed my eyes, sure that I was finally going to die.

"You know that no one will believe that." I gritted my teeth, feeling a flash of fury at his patronizing tone.

"I wasn't going to tell anyone!" I snapped, letting my voice come out a little louder than before. "I just…people are going to ask. I wanted to know why I'm lying to them." He sighed again, staring at me with a strange mix of irritation and…longing? Worry? Maybe even pain? His light brown eyes seemed just a shade darker, I realized, much like Carlisle's had slipped from honey brown to a darker brown over the course of a few days until they had suddenly gone back to the golden color of honey.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you." He said simply, crossing his arms, and I stepped back, lifting an eyebrow in annoyance.

"Fine." I snapped, having no patience for his games, whirling and storming away. Unfortunately, my clumsiness refused to allow me my dramatic exit, and my foot caught on something or another, and it was only his hand on my arm that kept me from collapsing. Blood rushed to my face at his tiny smile, and I pulled away. "Oh shut up!" I snarled in embarrassment, and as I turned the corner, I was sure I heard him laughing.

* * *

To my surprise, Billy was nearly distraught when he saw me walking through the waiting room, rolling quickly toward me and staring at me with worried eyes. "Bella? Are you alright? What did the doctor say? You hit your head again?"

"I'm fine." Though I couldn't help being touched by his concern. "No concussion or broken anything. He said I could…" I started to lie, but Billy's eyes widened and I glanced behind me to find the doctor with his arms crossed, eying me sternly. "How did he do that?" I murmured, more awed that irritated as he began to approach me. "Ahem….he said I could go back tomorrow." I finished a little louder with a cheerful smile, knowing he wouldn't be fooled but also hoping he wouldn't be angry that I'd tried to lie.

"Yes...tomorrow." He stared at me for a minute, and I started to speak to Billy, but was surprised to find him eyeing Carlisle warily. "Hello Billy."

"Carlisle." Billy nodded to him coldly, and I glanced between the two men in confusion. Carlisle seemed at ease, his calm demeanor never shifting, but Billy seemed….nervous. Too tense for such a public meeting between two people who apparently knew each other.

Carlisle crossed his arms once more and began to speak formally. "I'd prefer Bella take it easy today…she hit her head after recently recovering from a concussion, and that could be dangerous. If she has any kind of violent mood swings, uncommon drowsiness, or if you have trouble waking her, call for an ambulance. I didn't see any kind of bleeding or swelling on her X-ray but I don't want to take any chances." Billy nodded. "Her sides are going to be sore as well, so she'll need to be careful."

"I'll look after her." He told the doctor shortly. "Bella, can you go wait in the truck? I need to speak with Dr. Cullen." I glanced at Carlisle a little nervously, not missing Billy's tone, and his face softened.

"Be careful Bella. Try not to fall down again." I wrinkled my nose at his teasing, but my heart seemed to glow when he put a gentle arm around me, holding me close for a second…I couldn't help but notice, though, that Billy leaned forward in his seat anxiously until I stepped back and headed for the hallway to the exit. Pausing at the door, I glanced back to find them heading down an adjacent hallway, Carlisle leading and Billy following a few feet behind, his movements stiff as he steered the chair.

'I shouldn't….' Biting my lip, I waited a second, looked around to find no one there, and followed slowly, peeking through the window in the door to watch them disappear through a doorway, then following quietly. The door said "Dr. C. Cullen" on a golden plaque, and I pressed my ear against the solid door, surprised that I was able to hear their conversation almost perfectly.

"You seem rather fond of Charlie's daughter, Carlisle." Billy spoke coldly.

"She's a wonderful girl. Who wouldn't be fond of her?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it." I felt my heart stutter in shock…Billy didn't think… "You want her. Or do your sons?" I placed a hand over my mouth. What would make Billy say something like that? I'd met the man's wife!

Carlisle's voice was terse. "We saved that girl's life. My sons did an excellent job controlling themselves…and Edward saved her once more today. Don't you think that if we'd wanted to…"

"What are you doing?" I jumped straight up in the air when the voice whispered into my ear, a tiny squeak escaping from my lips, and a hand grabbed mine and pulled, carefully guiding me as quickly as possible around the corner, back into the empty waiting room, and out the front door where the person I'd not gotten a good look at, as I'd been too busy staring over my shoulder, began to laugh.

"You…what did you do that for?" I cried, pulling away from Edward, but he kept my hand as he laughed, and I couldn't' keep the irritated expression on my face. He looked into my eyes and grinned.

"You know what they say about eavesdroppers?"

"I wasn't…" I paused at his incredulous look and rolled my eyes. "I was curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat." He quoted with an amused grin.

"But satisfaction brought it back." I shot back at him, and he laughed aloud.

"You have a bit of a temper, don't you?" He said it so fondly that I couldn't be upset and sighed, deciding to get some answers from the annoying boy.

"Why doesn't Billy like your dad?" I asked quietly, surprised to see him turn solemn.

"You really shouldn't try to figure that out." He told me simply, pulling away, but I gripped his hand, making him pause.

"But it's ridiculous! Billy acts like…like he thinks that Carlisle…" I stared down at the ground in humiliation and dropped my hand. Looking up when I felt a cold hand on my cheek, I looked into Edward's gentle eyes. "Carlisle wouldn't hurt me." I told him surely.

"No. He wouldn't." He affirmed quietly. "You know that. I know that. Carlisle knows that. So what anyone else thinks is irrelevant." I nodded a little, and he jerked his head toward the truck out in the middle of the parking lot, holding out his arm gallantly with a teasing smile, and I smirked, linking my arm in his, not trying to examine my own actions, nor why I felt so comfortable around this boy. He began walking toward the car and I walked at his side, glancing sideways at him every so often as we made our way into the parking lot. "What are you thinking?" He asked suddenly, his voice on the edge of frustrated, and I smiled up at him a little.

"About you…" He looked down at me, a little pleased surprise in his eyes. "There's something about you..."  
"Ah. About my family." He seemed amused, but he was serious under the humor.

"Well yes…but more than that. About you in particular…" He lifted an eyebrow. "Why were you in my hospital room two nights ago?" I asked suddenly. He chuckled.

"I wanted to speak to Carlisle, so I…"

"Nope." I told him with a shake of my head, pausing, and he stopped beside me when I turned to him. "Carlisle went home at midnight. He told me he was leaving. Then he arrived in the morning before I woke up, but long after you came. Try again." He stared at me for a long moment, and I met his eyes, hoping they looked somewhat reassuring. I wasn't angry. Even if he admitted to stalking me…I didn't know if I could find it in me to be upset with this mysterious guy who'd saved my life twice now.

"I…wanted to see you." He finally admitted quietly. I narrowed my eyes a little, but didn't ask the hundreds of questions floating through my mind.

"Okay." He glanced at the doors a second before Billy emerged from the hospital doors and then smiled at me, opening the passenger side door and giving me a hand to lift me into the cab, his cold hand gentle around mine. "Hey Edward…"

"Hm?"

"I just…" I grinned at him a little. "Thanks. That's twice you've saved my life now." He smiled, reaching up and touching my hand.

"Let's not try for three, okay?" I laughed a little, nodding. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bella. Maybe this time you can make it to first period." He shut the door before I could come up with a witty response and waved as he walked away, nodding briefly to Billy as they passed one another.

"You know Edward Cullen?" Billy asked quietly as he pulled himself into the truck. I started to jump out and help him, but he stopped me with a hand, climbed in expertly, grabbing his chair, lifting and folding it, and placing it in the backseat without my assistance. "You don't need to be lifting anything or jumping out of trucks." He scolded me. "You're hurt enough." He glanced over. "So…Edward Cullen?"

"Um…yes. I've talked to him once or twice…he visited me while I was in the hospital." I didn't mention that this had occurred in the middle of the night.

"Hm." He grunted, glancing at me. "You sure you feel okay?" He asked, his voice a little softer.

"Fine. Just a headache…"

"We've got ibuprofen. That doctor said to give you that first if it wasn't too bad." He said gruffly, but he still seemed worried.

"It's not bad." I assured him, smiling a little at my dad's old friend.

* * *

I lay in bed, staring lazily at the map of the school in front of me, wishing that I had somewhere to go. A quiet knock on the door startled me and I sat up. "Come in." I invited.

Jacob opened the door a little anxiously. "Hey. You okay? Dad said you almost got hit by a car…"

"Yea…um, I'm fine. It's just icy…another guy slid on the pavement."

"You want me to drive you tomorrow?" He offered, leaning against my doorframe.

I stared at him critically, something suddenly occurring to me. "How old are you Jacob?"

"Almost sixteen." He spoke defensively.

"You don't even have your license!?" He grinned.

"Nah, don't need one around here. I've never been pulled over." He told me proudly.

"Yea…let's not test that." He laughed. I stared at him for a moment, a thought occurring to me. "Hey Jacob…can I ask you something?"

"Yea. What's up?" I glanced over his shoulder into the hallway.

"Where's Billy?" I asked in a nearly silent whisper and the boy grinned.

"He went go visit Harry." He whispered, using the same tone. "Why? You wanna sabotage his wheelchair ramp?" He asked me conspiratorially and I rolled my eyes.

"Of course not. I just…I need to ask something…about the Cullens." The rueful look on his face told me that he knew what I was talking about.

"So you noticed, huh?"

"Yea…why doesn't Billy like Carlisle?" Jacob sighed, glanced at the door, then shut it behind him, coming to sit next to me on the bed.

"Okay, so what do you know about the Quileute tribe?"

* * *

Edward had, for many days, made a study of Isabella Swan. When his father had returned from the hospital early that morning after the terrible crash, he'd watched the man's memories, watched Carlisle get her into the ambulance, take over the jobs of the EMS workers…he'd watched him carefully remove her clothing (at this point Edward had pointedly thought about other things, not willing to take away the girl's privacy) he'd watched as his father ordered X-rays and an MRI and various other tests and procedures, all while the girl had remained unconscious. Day after day the girl had remained that way…unresponsive, hooked to an IV and monitors that told them that she was alive. But then he'd watched her wake in his father's memory, watched her speak, taking note subconsciously of the way she moved, how she spoke. Every day when Carlisle came home, he watched her…

Then Esme and Alice had gone to her, and he'd watched her smile, and laugh, and giggle and smirk…he'd watched her eat and take Alice's teasing and Esme's affection and blossom under them. Then he'd seen Bella…the girl under the pain and sorrow thrust upon her. And when he'd watched Carlisle's memories…when he'd heard her tell her mother that she was staying…his heart had broken for this warm hearted girl who would give up her own happiness to keep her mother happy. And then he'd visited her, so briefly, just long enough to touch her….to pull her from a nightmare, and to speak to her for less than a minute, reassuring her that she was safe.

But today…he grinned a little, still able to feel the warmth of her skin on his hand. Of course he'd been terrified. He hadn't even thought about what he was doing…Emmett and Alice had both been on the verge of doing the same. But he'd gotten to spend the better part of two hours with her, first sitting with her in the parking lot, forcing himself to endure the smell that burned a little less now, holding her fragile head in his hand, then in the hospital, when she'd shouted at him, her glaring at him like a kitten that thinks it's frightening. And then out in the parking lot of the hospital, after pulling her away from the door before she could hear the word 'bite' or 'bloodsucker.'

She'd smiled at him then…admitted to thinking about him, laughed with him…Edward glanced up when he caught Alice in the door, her mind carefully on the Japanese tea ceremony, but her lips stretched into a smug smile. "What do you know?" He asked wearily.

"It's set now." She bounced a little, but her mind stayed focused. "You've decided."

"Decided what?" He asked in amusement, and she smiled even wider.

"You're so much pleasanter these days." She remarked airily. "I'm glad. You're boring when you're moody all the time." He rolled his eyes.

"What have I decided, Alice?"

"Oh you already know. You must! The future's so clear!"

"Alice, I really don't know what you're talking about."  
She sighed and rolled her eyes as if he were the one being difficult. "Fine. I won't say anything then. Wouldn't want you to jinx it. Just…keep doing what you're doing." He lifted an eyebrow.

"Yea…sure." Ignoring his smiling sister, he went back to thinking about Bella, wishing that there was a way he could visit her…but it was impossible. He would just have to wait for tomorrow. 'I wonder what I've decided…' Suddenly he jerked his head up. "Is this about Bella?" He asked quietly. She bit her lip, her smile widening. "What? What did you see?" For just a second it slipped and images raced by in quick succession; Bella stood beside Alice, the girl's arm wrapped around his sister, both smiling secretively, Bella stood beside Emmett, his arm thrown around her shoulders, his head thrown back in laughter as he smiled fondly down at her, Bella with Esme and Carlisle, held between them, their golden eyes full of love for the girl, and then…Bella sitting across from Jasper, both bent over a game of chess, his laugh when she tentatively moved a piece, putting herself in check, his eyes full of the same fondness Emmett's had been. But the last one was the one that got his attention…himself in the meadow, lying on the ground on his back, Bella beside him, her hand touching his face, then his lips touching hers, her arms wrapping around his neck before the vision was replaced once again with the ancient ceremony.

"Alice…" He spoke slowly. "What…"

"Don't be dense. You're in love with her. She's going to be a part of our family!"

He stared at her in silent shock, too afraid to let himself believe it. "Rosalie?"

"Eh. She'll come around." He was quiet for a moment, then grinned.

"Jasper?" He spoke with an air of incredulity and she laughed.

"I know right…he's going to love her though…we all will, just like you already do."

"Wait…a part of our family? Alice…we can't…." Alice sighed, crossing her arms.

"She's figuring it out." She informed him quietly. "She's going to speak to Jacob at some point. He'll tell her the stories…since he doesn't know about the treaty. She's a smart girl."

"And then?"

"I can't see…but I still see her being one of us so…"

"One of us?" He cried.

"Yes…of course. Oh don't look like that! Would you rather she die?" He grimaced, the pain of that possibility impossibly real…he remembered the way she'd looked when he'd found her…the way her head had slammed against the concrete earlier that very day. "Exactly. You already can't leave her…she's your soul mate." She said it with a cheesy smile, but she was undeniably serious. He knew that everyone in his family believed to some degree in soul mates and fate, and he'd never put much stock into it before, but this girl…whose mind he couldn't read and whose blood was like the strongest drug…impossible to resist…could he leave her? Was it possible that they were intended for one another? "She's happy." Alice told him softly. "In all the visions. She's so happy to be with us…she loves us just as much as we love her. She's lost her father, Edward. And her mother…I don't really understand their relationship, but Bella is alone, just like you were."

"Billy Black…"

"He's not her family." Alice argued and he shook his head.

"No…but he'll know…he was telling Carlisle...warning him about breaking the treaty. If we bite a human…"

"We'll have to leave first…get new ID's, get far away…farther than they would look. Maybe another country for a few hundred years. We may never be able to come back to Forks…but we get to keep Bella, so I'd say it's a fair trade." He chuckled a little at that, although the thought of taking that girl's soul…of making her cold like him…was he selfish enough to do it? He wanted to…he couldn't deny that, not to himself. He wanted _her_ in a way he'd never wanted anyone. He wanted her forever, and he wanted to be hers forever, although he'd only met her so recently, he knew…there was something about her. The image of her lying on the ground, bleeding and crying…the brief thought that she might die…he didn't think he could ever get that out of his head…it was unbearable, the thought that he would lose her now, this girl he hardly knew but seemed to love already. He knew, suddenly, that he was selfish enough if it was what she would want…if it meant never letting her die.

"You don't have to decide anything right now. Just keep doing what you're doing. Let her fall in love with you before you propose." She teased. He smiled a little, reaching over and ruffling her hair when she sat beside him.

**Thanks to everyone who's reading. I truly appreciate it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! **

**Grim F Waters: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like my writing and my stories. I truly love writing so that means a lot to me. (The girl/woman/lady part made me laugh :)) I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! **

I sat on my bed, staring at the floor after Jacob had left. 'Cold ones…they're all so cold. And they all have that same pale skin…and their eyes…I've never seen them eat, even when we were sitting in the cafeteria...and then…that first night…Edward said something about my blood…Carlisle talked about their self control...and then yesterday, when Edward was able to get to me so fast…oh my god…' Clenching my hands in my lap, I stared at the wall across from me as example after example of strange behavior raced through my mind. 'Vampires? Seriously?'

Jacob had laughed when I'd shivered in fright, pleased with his ability to scare me, but he hadn't understood. Because the scariest thing was…I wasn't afraid of the vampires. Thinking about Emmett, who'd sat beside me as I'd cried and comforted me, and Carlisle who'd spent the last few days with me, desperate to help, I knew that I couldn't fear them. I was a little worried about myself…surely I should be frightened or something. But…I still wanted to get to know Edward, this mysterious boy who smiled at me and seemed…to like me? And I wanted to return Alice's friendship, and maybe let her drag me around the mall sometimes. I wanted to speak properly to Emmett…to thank him. And more than anything, I wanted Esme and Carlisle…the people, yes…people, who'd stepped into the role as my parents so briefly and taken care of me.

'I don't care.' I realized, smiling faintly. 'I don't care if they're vampires or cold ones or whatever they want to be called…fanged Americans…' I giggled nervously, my heart leaping in my chest. 'I'll get to see them tomorrow…I'll get to meet the others…and I'll get to talk to Edward. Really talk to him…without being in the hospital or severely injured.' Giggling again, I lay back on the bed, questioning my own sanity but undeniably excited about my first day of school.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, I made it to my first class without injuring myself further, although I was nearly late. Handing the slip to the teacher as I walked in and collecting the textbook, I sat in an empty desk and tried to ignore the stares and focused on the lecture. Second period Spanish, History, and then precalculus all passed in a confusing and chaotic blur, and then I was walking to lunch with a girl named Angela, all without having seen any of the Cullens. And then, at lunch, I found a whole table of them, much to my surprise. I paused by Angela as we waited in line, my head turned toward the table full of beautiful pale….vampires. In my mind I stumbled over the word. Then Alice looked straight at me, her small face lighting up with a beatific smile, and she jumped from her seat beside the blonde boy and hurried over to me, throwing her arms around me and startling Angela. "Bella! Are you okay?" She pulled away, holding me at arm's length. "It was lucky that Edward was so close to you!" I lifted an eyebrow, my expression telling her exactly what I thought of that statement, and she grinned a little, her eyes lighting up. "Won't you come sit with us? After you get food? I know Edward wants to see you! And Emmett too! And you haven't met Jasper or Rosalie!"

'Jasper! That's his name!' Gratified at having that question answered, I nodded. "Okay." I told her a little hesitantly. "I'll be right there." She grinned, squeezing my hand and then prancing back to her table cheerfully.

"You know Alice Cullen?" Angela didn't seem like a gossip…not like the girl Jessica who'd tried to get me alone all day, and her voice was full of sincere curiosity. "She seems really nice…they don't really speak to anyone though. That's probably why everyone is staring." I glanced around self consciously to find that she was right….everyone except for the Cullens, who were speaking quietly among themselves, Jasper and Rosalie looking serious, Emmett and Alice looking cheerful, and Edward staring at the table without any kind of expression. Angela grabbed a slice of pizza and I chose a salad and an apple along with a bottle of lemonade, and we parted ways after we paid, me heading hesitantly to the Cullen table.

The only empty chair was between Edward and Alice, and I wondered if they'd done that on purpose, letting me sit with the two I knew the best. Alice slipped an arm around my shoulder, moving away from Jasper who she'd been sitting…quite close to...closer than was really necessary. "So, you already know Edward." He looked up then and smiled at me kindly, his light eyes meeting mine for a second, and I felt my heart stutter. There was something in his expression that made me think he'd heard it and against my will, my face warmed. Alice snickered. "Moving right along…you remember Emmett, right?" Emmett grinned at me easily, lifting a hand and waving. Of course I remembered him; the curly hair was the same…the pale face and dimpled smile reminding me of that night.

"Hi Emmett." I greeted him quietly, reminding myself that I still had to thank him.

"Hey Bella. You look better." I smiled self-consciously and Alice laughed, her voice like a wind chime. I wondered that everyone didn't stop and listen, but I guessed they were used to it.

"So this is Rosalie." She gestured toward a gorgeous blonde who stared at me skeptically.

"Hello Rosalie." I greeted her with a hesitant smile. She nodded and murmured a hello, and I realized that her arm was threaded through Emmett's. 'Foster siblings? Maybe it's a cover? They're probably not really related.' Her face was neither friendly nor hostile, but it definitely felt like she was unhappy about me being here. I saw Emmett's muscled arm flex and his hand tightened around hers.

"And, finally, this is Jasper." The handsome blonde man grinned at me lazily and I was instantly reminded of a large cat, long and powerful, not as muscled as Emmett, who seemed almost bear-like with his broad shoulders and thick build, but lean and obviously strong.

"Hello, Bella." His accent was hard to place, but if I had to guess, I would have said southern…

"Hi Jasper." I smiled at him hesitantly, intimidated despite his smile, and his eyes changed a bit, softening a little and Alice gave him a look I didn't quite catch as my anxiety lessened. 'Odd….'

"Eat." Alice insisted, so I speared a cherry tomato and chewed, trying not to be self-conscious about being the only one eating. "So how's life at Billy Black's?" She asked cheerfully, and I noticed that her fingers were now laced with Jasper's.

'Definitely a cover…' I thought with certainty. "Um…okay. It's kind of strange, but he's nice, and so is Jacob. It was kind of him to give me a place to stay."

"Did he give you that old truck too?" Edward asked in dry amusement, but his face suddenly twisted slightly as if in pain at the same time as Alice's, and Jasper clenched his jaw a little when the familiar pain hit in my chest. I was surprised enough at their reaction that it took a second to realize I hadn't answered yet.

"No…um, my dad bought it for me…before I got here…" I stared at the table top then, my upper lip between my teeth, but then my pain lessened, easing until it was a vague pain, like a memory of a long lost friend or family member coming back to haunt you…not the fresh pain of having lost your father a week ago. 'What's going on?' I wondered suspiciously, but my suspicion disappeared as well, leaving me vaguely irritated. 'What the heck? Why….' I froze when I saw the partial smirk on Jasper's face and felt a tiny hint of amusement that certainly wasn't mine. 'It's him…he's…controlling my emotions!?' I realized with certainty. 'They're vampires…so he has weird emotion controlling abilities too?' Jasper glanced up at me, honest surprise in his eyes, and I met his gaze for a second before making the choice to ignore my new knowledge for the moment and turned back to Edward who'd spoken once more, his voice remorseful.

"I'm so sorry Bella…I didn't mean to…"

"No…don't worry about it. The truck actually belonged to Billy first. Charlie bought it from him so Jacob could build a new car." I smiled a little, not wanting to bring up this subject. "He's looking for a master something or another to rebuild some kind of rabbit if you've seen any of those around." Edward looked confused for a moment, then laughed aloud when Rosalie snorted.

"A master _cylinder_ for a _Volkswagen_ rabbit?" He asked.

"Yea…that sounds about right." I laughed a little. "I just sort of nod and smile…" He laughed and glanced up at Rosalie, smirking at her for a second. I followed his gaze and found her smiling a little at the table. Pushing away my confusion, I took another bite.

"So how have your classes been so far?" Alice wondered, unscrewing the lid to her bottled water and playing with it, placing a finger against the edge and making it flip in the air in front of her face. I felt a rush of gratitude for Alice's presence. She still spoke to me as though we'd known each other our whole lives, and her arm was still pressed against mine, her cold skin on mine a welcome feeling, reminding me of Emmett's comforting hand, of Carlisle's gentle embrace…of my arm threaded through Edward's.

I forced myself to focus on her question, grimacing a little. The day had seemed to go by in a strange, unreal blur as I'd tried to listen to all of the teachers and figure out how much catching up I had to do. "Um…fine. It's kind of a lot to take in, actually. I'm probably not going to remember anyone's name tomorrow." She grinned. "Angela seems nice." Alice glanced over at the girl and nodded.

"Yea, she is. What about Jessica?" I must not have been able to hide my grimace, and I was almost certain Jasper felt my rush of distaste…he chuckled under his breath when I shrugged and said she was okay. "And Tyler?" Alice asked with a grin.

I wrinkled my nose. "He's not stopped apologizing for yesterday." Edward mumbled something under his breath, but when I glanced over at him, he only gave me a faint smile.

"I think he's going to try to make it up to you." Alice told me, a mischievous light in her eyes. I sighed, biting into my apple, and rolled my eyes, amazed at the interaction despite myself. Lunch had always been spent alone, or with whatever people happened to sit at my table. More often than not I'd gone to the library. But never had I sat together with a group of people who seemed to actually _want_ me there, and never had I chatted so easily with another girl.

"I wish he wouldn't." I took another bite of my salad, taking note that Edward looked pleased at my response but tried not to dwell on it. 'It doesn't necessarily mean anything.' I scolded myself when I would have been happy about the little smile on his face…the lightening of his eyes. "What do you have next?" I asked, opening my lemonade and noticing that Alice hadn't taken a drink of her own water. 'Of course not.' I thought, my heart doing a strange little leap. 'She's a vampire…' Despite having accepted it, the word still sent an odd, nearly frightened thrill through my chest. Jasper eyes me oddly and I nearly laughed aloud. 'He _can_ read my emotions! Can they all? No…he's the only one who's reacting like that…but then Edward…always just a second later…no…. surely not…' He was giving me the strangest disbelieving look, but quickly looked back at the table, his face thoughtful, when I caught his gaze.

"I have web design. But you have Biology with Edward." She told me a little smugly and I looked at her strangely.

"How did you know?" She held up my class schedule that I was sure I'd left in my backpack.

"You had it on the table." She laughed, handing it back to me. "And then gym last." Something about that amused her, but then I realized that she'd laughed when I'd told Esme that I wasn't good at physical activity. "That should be fun." I grimaced at her, taking another drink of lemonade.

"Yea." I mumbled irritably. "Fun."

* * *

Edward glanced over at the girl sitting beside him, taking a hesitant breath and feeling a little triumphant when he realized that he was getting used to it. Bella was looking at her new biology textbook, her eyes skimming the chapter that they were about to cover, and he enjoyed his chance to observe her uninterrupted for a minute. Lunch had been…hard. He'd been fighting the urge to touch the girl the entire time, his emotions chaotic enough that hew as sure that Jasper had caught on…heck, even typically unobservant Emmett had noticed…Alice certainly had high hopes for them. To his own embarrassment, she was thinking about talking to Bella about him.

But there was another matter that had his attention, even while he contemplated the shape of her nose, and the way her brown eyes moved as she skimmed the text. Jasper's thoughts. 'She knows?' He'd glanced up at his brother after realizing what he'd said…that he'd reminded her unintentionally of her father, and had felt her pain through Jasper…but his brother, already falling under this girl's strange enchantment, couldn't stop himself from soothing her just a little, taking the edge off of Bella's pain. But then Edward had felt her suspicion through Jasper…and then heard Jasper's surprise when, after her emotion's had softened, she'd caught Jasper's amusement at her own irritated confusion and had felt shocked realization…and then acceptance? Or something similar…the subtle flavors of emotions that his brother felt often didn't have precise names, but Jasper always did his best, naming them as closely as he could, and acceptance, or resignation, was what Bella felt before Edward apologized.

'Does she know something?' Edward felt as if he were being paranoid just thinking it, but she'd seemed so sure, in Jasper's mind, that Jasper was doing something to her. And she hadn't confronted him…actually it had been Emmett she'd approached after lunch, her small body dwarfed by his giant brother. He'd seen her face in Emmett's mind, her light flush, the floral scent that Emmett couldn't help but notice but ignored in favor of listening to her as she thanked him softly for staying with her…and then he'd felt her…as though Emmett's arms were his own when his brother pulled her into them, the relief that Emmett felt his own as he was finally completely sure that she was safe.

"Don't mention it." He'd told her kindly, ruffling her hair, and then he'd watched her head toward the door where Edward himself had waited, watching her through his brother's mind.

'I think you ought to keep this one.' Emmett had told him silently with a grin. 'I like her…I wouldn't mind having her around from now on.' Edward had grinned at his brother's tender thoughts…it was rare that Emmett showed such obvious affection for anyone…and it never happened with anyone outside the family. So to see it now…there really was something about this girl…besides the fact that she was, frustratingly enough, a mental mute.

Suddenly, the girl glanced over at him and met his gaze, her mouth opened as if she were about to ask something, but she paused, her eyes staring into his, and he focused on them. 'Maybe if I can just concentrate…just get a glimpse of her mind…just a little one…' He stared at her, escaping into her fathomless eyes, blocking every other voice until they were a distant hum and…nothing. Not even a peep.

"Um…" Bella looked away, her face reddening, and he was hit again with her lovely scent, making the back of his throat burn. "Did…um…did you already do these questions or…?" She trailed off, staring pointedly at the book, her face still flushed, and nodded toward a list of questions in the center of the page.

Edward took a second to gather himself, telling himself firmly that no, he could not touch her cheek to see if she felt as warm as he remembered, no he could not put his nose against her soft hair, and no, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close was _not_ an option. "Yes…we turned them in yesterday. The sets at the end of the chapter are due next week."

"Thanks." She mumbled, placing a hand against her cheek.

He laughed under his breath at her self-consciousness, then smiled a little at her, a thought occurring to him. 'It wouldn't be a bad idea.' He told himself. 'There's no way I can visit her again, not with her living at La Push…so I'll have to do this the old fashioned way.' The thought almost made him chuckle. "Do you have plans this evening?" He asked quietly. She looked at him once again in surprise, then shook her head wordlessly, her brown eyes wide. "Would you like to…" He gathered all of his courage, telling himself that this was hardly something that should require so much bravery. "…would you allow me to take you to dinner tonight?" He asked, his voice growing almost too quiet at the end, and her eyes widened, a strange, hesitant smile passing for a second over her lips.

At that moment, the teacher stood from his desk and began calling names, but before he could catch them talking, Bella nodded, her lips fighting back a smile, and he felt his heart leap, not even bothered by the fact that he would have to force himself to swallow a little human food. It was worth it, if he got to be with her.

* * *

Edward Cullen asked to take me to dinner. A vampire wanted to take me to dinner. Somehow I had to fight the almost hysterical urge to giggle in the middle of class. 'Stop acting like a middle school girl going on her first date…..but I am going on my first date…and what do I do? Like….what do people do on these things? Should I get dressed up? Will he get me at Billy's? I doubt it…I don't think he's allowed, not from what Jacob said. I'll have to ask Jacob to take me somewhere to meet him…or leave my truck somewhere…or I can just walk to the edge of La Push. It's not all that far from Billy's, and I'll just wear flats…and stay on the road…and be careful not to get dirty.' I sighed a little, letting my mind stray from the lecture.

I wasn't someone who liked playing dress up or wearing make up or even shopping…but for him…I couldn't help but think I'd enjoy dressing up for him…'Why? I don't even know him!' I glanced up at the power point and hurried to jot down the information. 'But I want to. I want to know him…I already know their secret. I feel…like Carlisle and Esme…like they want me.' And I knew it came down to that. 'What's wrong with me? Someone shows me a little affection and suddenly I'm a lost puppy, trotting at their ankles and hoping they don't leave me?' I flinched a little at the thought. I'd never even considered making myself so vulnerable…so dependent on anyone else. My mother…she was great, and I loved her, but she depended on me…or she did until Phil. But after Charlie…and Carlisle was so kind to me…

I felt Edward's gaze on me and reddened a little. Despite my worries I was still excited. I wanted to spend more time with Edward Cullen. He was fascinating and mysterious and he seemed to genuinely like me. No, more than that, he'd admitted to coming to the hospital just to see me…in the middle of the night, of course. It was a definite plus that I already felt attached to his family. Before I realized what was going on, class was over, and the power point was shut off. "Crap." I mumbled under my breath, realizing that I hadn't listened to anything the teacher had said in the last twenty minutes. Beside me, Edward chuckled.

"I'll let you borrow my notes." He promised, waiting for me to gather my books and then walking beside me as I headed to gym. He had a different class, but I didn't doubt that he'd make it on time. Turning to me outside the gymnasium doors, Edward stared at me for a long moment, his eyes filled with a longing I didn't quite understand, and then he reached up with one hand, brushing against my reddening cheek with the tips of his fingers slowly, icy cold against my hot face. His face softened then, and I wondered for just a second if he planned to do anything else…like kiss me, for example, my excited brain supplied, but he only pulled away, clenching his fist at his side, and smiled at me. "I'll wait for you after class." He promised, then turned and strode away, his shoulders tense.

Gym was just as horrendous as I had feared. Some guy named Mike volunteered to partner up with me for team volleyball, but I somehow managed to hit myself, Mike, and three other people in the head with the stupid ball. I was rubbing my head when I stepped out of the gym, and Edward, who stood in the hallway waiting for me, looked torn between amusement and concern. "Are you alright?" He asked quietly as I approached him.

"Fine." I mumbled irritably. "Stupid volleyball."

"You had a concussion…do you want to go see Carlisle?" He seemed to be moving toward concern and I dropped my hand, smiling a little.

"I'm fine. I didn't get hit hard…well not as hard as Mike…poor guy volunteered to play with me." Said poor Mike passed us then, and Edward's eyes followed him with slight annoyance (which I didn't understand), then turned back to me.

"Are you sure?" I nodded and he sighed, changing the subject. "About tonight…"

"Yea." I spoke up quickly. "Do you mind meeting me outside of La Push?" I didn't give an explanation, mostly because I hadn't thought of one, but he seemed slightly relieved…if surprised.

"Of course not…will Jacob give you a ride?"

"Hm? No, I'll just walk." His eyes widened and his jaw clenched.

"By yourself?"

"Yea. It's not too far from Billy's." He grimaced and looked very much like he had something he wanted to say. A look of frustrated annoyance passed over his face and I reached out without thinking, my fingers touching his arm. "What's wrong?"

"Won't you ask Jacob to give you a ride?" He asked quietly. "You shouldn't wander around alone in the dark…" I started to argue, but I realized he was upset that he couldn't pick me up himself.

'Old fashioned.' I thought in surprise, though the thought didn't upset me. "Okay. I'll ask him. What time?"

His face smoothed out then and he turned, my arm going naturally to his elbow as we walked toward the parking lot now that the rush for freedom had ended around us. "Is six alright with you? Right outside of La Push?" He seemed hesitant but I nodded, smiling a little.

"Okay." I blushed a little, realizing that we'd made it to my truck, and he smiled at me, then glanced over at his family who all stood by his car, giving us looks of exaggerated patience. "I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight." He nodded, turning and walking over to where his family waited. I climbed into my truck, too embarrassed to meet their amused gazes, but was surprised to find a bag sitting in my passenger seat. Reaching over, I realized that a little note with perfect cursive handwriting was folded on top of the gift paper.

_Bella, have fun tonight. XOXO Alice_

* * *

Billy glanced up from his book when I entered, nodding a greeting at me. "Hey Billy. You hungry?"

"Don't you worry about cooking for me, Bella." He scolded with a laugh. "I've been managing on my own for quite some time now. Go ahead and make yourself something if you're hungry though." He invited, sweeping his arm around the kitchen.

"Oh, I'm not hungry. Thanks though." He looked up at me sharply, the book lowering in his grip.

"Bella, you know what the doctor said…you can't be skipping meals. If you're feeling…well if you want…Bella, I know that Charlie's death is hard for you…and…" I held my hand up, shaking my head.

"Billy, it's nothing like that." I argued, placing my backpack on the chair, a little touched. Living will Billy Black was certainly strange, but he'd been nothing but kind. "I'm going out to dinner with someone tonight." I blushed a little when he grinned.

"Really? Who with? He picking you up here? Do I get to meet him? Scare him a little?"

I laughed a little, wondering if I could get away with this. "Um…no…actually I was going to ask Jacob for a ride…" Billy looked at me strangely and I knew that there was no way I'd be able to hide this from him. Sighing a little in resignation, I crossed my arms. I wasn't ashamed of this. He would just have to deal with it. "I'm going out with Edward Cullen."

Despite Billy's protests, Jacob had happily agreed to giving me a ride, going so far as to ignore his father as he shouted that we weren't going anywhere near that boy… honestly I couldn't blame him too much…he did think that Edward was dangerous…then again, maybe he was. Not that I cared…

"Hey, I'm sorry about my dad…he's kind of…completely insane when it comes to the Cullens." Jacob told me sheepishly from the cab of the truck.

"Yea…I noticed." I told him with a dry laugh. "But it's not your fault. Thank you for the ride, by the way. You won't be in too much trouble, will you?"

"Hey, don't worry about it. When you coming back? I'll give you a ride home."

"Um…I'll ask Edward."

"Okay." He shrugged easily, glancing over at me occasionally as we drove in silence. Apparently Alice had somehow found time to do some shopping, so I was wearing a new black skirt that swished around my knees and a simple midnight blue top that skimmed my collarbone. "You look pretty by the way." He told me, his face glowing red in the dark despite his dark skin, and I laughed a little embarrassedly.

"Thanks, Jacob." From then on, it was silent until we reached the line between La Push and the town of Forks.

"Here you go, ma'am." He gestured grandly toward the silver car where Edward waited by the passenger door, dressed in a casual black turtleneck that had me staring for a good thirty seconds before Jacob gave me a push toward the door. "Well go on. And ask what time I should come get you." I glared at him as I hopped out of the truck he'd borrowed against Billy's wishes (which was putting it nicely), and made my way over to Edward who seemed as intent on me as I had been on him, his eyes following me as I moved.

"Hi." I mumbled once I was closer, and his face softened into a kind of awe that had me glowing as brightly as Jacob had been. 'I hope he can't see well in the dark…'

"Hello." He spoke tenderly, his hand clenched tightly at his side, and I wondered what had him so tightly wound. I glanced back at Jacob and smiled at little at his pose, leaning back in the seat, arms crossed in a display of exaggerated patience.

"Um…Jacob wants to know what time to pick me up…" He nodded, reaching out a hand and leading me to the car, opening the door for me, then, after making sure I was in, he shut the door and strode over to Jacob's truck, leaning into the open window and chatting with him quietly. Jacob lifted an eyebrow at one point and laughed, nodding and saying something I couldn't hear, then gestured toward La Push, their actions easy to make out thanks to Edward's headlights. Edward shook his head with a rueful smile and then seemed to thank Jacob. As Jacob pulled away, Edward made his way back to the car, climbing into the driver's seat and turning to me with a smile.

"Ready?" I nodded and she reached out once again, touching his cold fingertips to my hot cheek in borderline amusement, but his eyes were tender. "Alright." And pushing down on the accelerator, he turned us toward the road.

**Thank you all so much for reading. I hope you liked it :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you all for the reviews! I really appreciate them :) **

**Grim f waters: Hey. Thank you very much for your reviews! I'm glad you like my writing!**

"I hope you don't mind waiting a little." His voice seemed to fill up the small space inside the luxury car, wrapping around me and making it difficult to concentrate on his words. "I thought we'd go to Port Angeles…there's a restaurant there I thought you'd like to try. I already spoke to Jacob."

"Not at all…" I glanced over at him self-consciously and he looked over at me with a smile.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine." He chuckled and reached over with one hand, hesitantly touching my left one and immediately I laced my fingers with his, amazed at how natural it felt to have my hand in his.

"So, am I to assume that you've never done this before?"

"Um…no. Not really." He chuckled softly.

"Would it comfort you to know that neither have I?" I stared at him for a moment.

"You're kidding." I accused faintly.

"Not at all. I've never had the…desire." His golden eyes pierced mine and I forced my mind to remain clear.

"Well, you certainly don't seem nervous." He laughed aloud at that.

"Perhaps not to _you_." He allowed. "So, Isabella Swan, what brought you to Forks?" His voice grew much gentler toward the end and I sighed a little, barely noticing when his hand tightened around mine.

"My mother remarried." I told him simply. He seemed surprised, but nodded, sympathetic.

"Ah. And you did not like the man?" The undercurrent to that question made me curious as to what he was getting at but I shook my head.

"No, Phil's fine…he's a bit young for her, but he was nice enough. He plays ball, and my mom wanted to spend time with him…she didn't like being away from him so often.

"So….she sent you here?" His voice was still sympathetic and I bristled a little.

"I sent myself." I corrected him. "I saw that she wanted to be with him, so I told her I'd like to…stay with Charlie for a bit." His hand squeezed mine once more.

"And that's why you stay?" I bit my lip, nodding and squeezing his hand back. "How long had it been, if I may ask?" I glanced over at him. "Since you'd seen your father."

"Oh…more than a year. I…we would meet up sometimes…never in Forks, not since I was ten or eleven. He couldn't make it last year…and the year before I had to cut it short…Renee wanted to go somewhere with me…I kind of blew him off." I swallowed, focusing on the motion of his thumb against the back of my hand. "I'd spoken to him on the phone a few weeks before I got here…asked if he would mind having me until I graduated. He was really excited." Edward didn't say anything, just continued to rub the back of my hand with his thumb in soothing circles. "Um, so what about you? You're adopted?" He nodded.

"Yes, Esme and Carlisle adopted myself and my siblings a long time ago…I don't really remember my own parents all that well." He stared at the road for a moment while I watched him. "And then Jasper and Rosalie came to us more recently." I wanted to tell him that he didn't have to give me the cover story…I was actually really curious about the real one. But he didn't know that I knew, and I was sure I wasn't supposed to know.

"You're very lucky. I've never met such…kind people." I spoke with more feeling than I'd meant to, but Edward didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, I could not ask for better parents…nor for better siblings."

"Um…is Rosalie…well, she seems kind of…" He chuckled when I trailed off, unable to find a way of phrasing it that didn't seem offensive, but he nodded.

"You get used to Rosalie…but if you get to know her, she's not so bad." I nodded, wondering at the fact that the best recommendation he could give was 'not so bad.' Did she dislike me? Or was it just anyone not in her own family? Would she be worse if she knew that I knew her family secret? "You don't have any siblings?"

"No…Renee never had any other kids. I always wanted some though." He smiled a little, something in his eyes shifting, and I wondered if he was thinking about his own…how Alice had thrown her arms around me, or how Emmett had grinned at me, hugging me in a way that had felt…careful and protective. Even Jasper had seemed welcoming, despite his quiet nature. "Do you guys have any other family?" He thought for a moment.

"Sort of. In Alaska, where we lived before." He didn't elaborate and I didn't ask, figuring it was probably a loose interpretation of the word 'family.'

I was surprised when we arrived in Port Angeles after only a half hour, figuring it would have taken longer. Then again, I hadn't looked too closely at the map of Forks or the surrounding area. Edward somehow appeared at my door and then I remembered the super speed thing. "Bella?" He asked in amusement, opening the door for me and offering me a hand. I reached up and took his hand, allowing him to help me out of the car, and blushing when his eyes followed the curves of the blouse, a small smile on his face. "Are you ready." I nodded and looked at the beautiful Italian restaurant, wondering how much this was going to cost him…

The maître d' greeted us and somehow Edward had made reservations for a booth in the corner of the restaurant, the most private seat in the entire place. He sat across from me in the small booth and watched as I skimmed over the menu. Less than a minute later, a girl a little older than me approached holding a small notepad. "Hello. My name is Stefani and I'll be your server." The girl smiled at Edward with a little too much interest, but he didn't seem to notice her. "What would you like to drink?" Edward gestured to me and I ordered a coke, unsurprised when he followed suit with little interest.

"So you like living with Billy and Jacob?" He asked, placing his chin in his hand and watching me closely. I nodded.

"Yes…it was nice of them to offer me a place to stay here. And Jacob has been really friendly." He looked at me for a moment.

"And Billy?"

"He's nice. I don't really know him all that well, but he was Charlie's friend." Edward seemed to think carefully about his next statement.

"Does he know you're here with me?" At that point, the waitress brought our drinks and sat them before us.

"Are you ready to order?" She asked with a smile, pulling out her little notepad and looking between us. Once again, Edward gestured to me, and I ordered a shrimp dish that looked delicious, and Edward ordered something with chicken from the top of the menu. I watched him skeptically as he answered a question she asked about his dish, hoping he wouldn't force himself to eat something that would make him sick…just to keep up a pretense.

As soon as she left I took a drink of my coke to stall, but he was watching me. "Yes." I told him reluctantly. "He knows…I told him when I got home." Something in my answer seemed to tell Edward everything he needed to know and I sighed.

"I'm sorry if it has caused trouble for you…coming to dinner with me."

"It hasn't." I told him firmly, and he looked up in surprise. "I don't care what Billy thinks, Edward. It isn't his choice." I tried to weigh my words down with meaning, and for a second I thought he suspected me, but then the look went away replaced by a lighter one.

"So what have you thought of school here?" He asked, leaning forward in his seat, and for the first time I realized that the tables surrounding us were all empty, and wondered if he'd done this somehow.

"I'm not sure really…it's only been one day. But mostly it seems like school back in Arizona…only colder." He grinned at my disgruntled tone.

"You dislike the cold?"

"I hate cold weather." I clarified, thinking of his cold skin. "And snow. And ice…especially ice." I exhaled, ignoring his amusement. "And gym. They make you take gym all four years here." I complained, resting my chin on my fist. "It's not so bad for _you_ but I can barely walk a straight line without injuring myself." He laughed softly, then gave me a strange look.

"What do you mean, it's not bad for me? How would you know?" His voice was teasing but there was a serious undercurrent.

'Crap.' I kept my face as composed as possible, but I'd been referring to the super reflexes he seemed to have. 'Plus with skin that hard, surely falling doesn't hurt him…' "You just seem like the athletic type." I shrugged. "And it can't be any kind of problem for Emmett." He grinned, as if remembering some private joke, but inclined his head.

"I would probably guess that we have less trouble than you…you are alarmingly clumsy." Before I could answer back (despite the fact that alarmingly was the perfect word to describe my clumsiness) the waitress brought our plates, setting them before us with a flourish, and turned to go after collecting my almost empty coke glass and glancing at Edward's full one.

I took one bite of the shrimp and smiled, humming happily. "What are you thinking?" He asked suddenly after I swallowed, watching me closely. I laughed a bit at the strange question he'd asked once before.

"That I wish I could make this for Billy and Jacob." He smiled crookedly.

"You like to cook?" He guessed, and I nodded.

"Yea, I always did the cooking at home, and I've taken over for Billy…they consider chips and burgers a healthy meal." I laughed.

"When did you learn?" We paused our conversation when the waitress brought me another coke and glanced at Edward once more.

"Um…probably around five or six…"

"….years ago?" He prompted, and I shook my head, swallowing another bite and taking a sip of coke.

"No, when I was five or six." I corrected with a laugh. "Charlie was a terrible cook, and Renee used to forget she had food in the oven. Almost burned our house down a few times." I chuckled at the memory, stopping abruptly when I caught the strained look on his face. "What?"

"Nothing." He forced a smile, but I was confused.

"What is it?"

"Wasn't it a little…irresponsible? Of your mother?" He asked gently, as if trying not to offend me, but I only laughed.

"Oh yea, she wasn't good with responsibility." I spoke fondly, remembering her scatterbrained ways, and he stared at me for a long minute.

"Does everything taste good?" The waitress was looking pointedly at Edward who obviously hadn't touched his food.

"Great." I answered for him, smiling at the girl, and she nodded, hurrying away to her other tables. Edward watched her go, then with a small sigh, cut a small piece of chicken off of the large breast with impeccable skill and brought it to his mouth, chewing quickly and swallowing with a grimace. I took another drink of my coke and felt a pang of pity for him when he glanced up at me and then looked back down at his plate a little reluctantly when he thought I was distracted with my own place.

"Don't." I pleaded softly when he reached for another bite. "Please…"

He seemed immediately concerned at my tone. "What? What's the matter?"

"Edward…." I didn't want to tell him that I knew…but I also didn't want him to be this uncomfortable. "I…the food…I know." I mumbled, looking down at the table. "Don't force yourself…"

"What are you talking about?" He asked, matching my soft tone.

"I'll eat it, if you want. Some of it…if you don't want to waste it I'll take it home. Just…please don't be mad…"

"Bella, why would I be mad? What are you talking about?" There was a nervous edge to his voice as he leaned toward me and I glanced around, making sure no one was within hearing distance.

"Jacob told me about the old legends…about your family…about the cold ones." I refused to meet his eyes, my cheeks burning, hating that I'd had to tell him. "I wouldn't tell anyone." I mumbled. "I wasn't even going to bring it up…but…"

"Wait…" His voice was strained as he stared at me, his expression disbelieving. "Bella…you knew? For how long?"

"Only since yesterday…after I got home from the hospital, and Jacob came home from school, I asked him why Billy didn't like Carlisle." He stared at me incredulously.

"Since yesterday?" He repeated faintly.

"Please don't be angry…I just didn't want you to have to eat that if it was going to make you sick…or if you didn't like it…I don't care…"

"Angry?" He repeated my words as if in a trance. "You…don't care?" He shook his head slowly. "Bella, you knew, and you agreed to come to dinner with me? You're…you're afraid I'll be sick…from eating human food?"

"You…you won't?"

"That's hardly the point." He shook his head. "Aren't you afraid?" He asked quietly.

"Of what?" I looked around in surprise and he barked an unbelieving laugh. "Bella, what do you think I am?" He asked in a quiet, incredulous tone. "Why do you think Billy Black doesn't trust me? Or Carlisle…or any of my family."

"I told you I didn't care what he thought." He laughed again, this time sounding a little more genuine.

"Why did you say yes?" He asked finally, watching me as though he didn't quite believe I was real.

"Because I wanted to go out with you."

"Why?" He pressed, and I blushed, staring down at the table.

Suddenly his hand rested on top of mine. "I think…I think I'm beginning to fall in love with you, Bella…I didn't stand much of a chance, seeing as everyone in that school seems to have done the same in just one day, as I'm sure you know." He spoke a little bitterly and I flipped my hand in his to squeeze his cold hand, meeting his eyes hesitantly.

"I haven't really noticed anyone else to be honest." I murmured, and his eyes gentled as he stared at me.

"It will not make me sick. It is, however, quite unpleasant."

"Then don't eat it." I pleaded, squeezing his hand. "We can take it all to go…I'll eat it later." He thought for a moment then smiled, waving the waitress over and requesting two boxes and a cup for me to take.

We sat in the car in silence, parked beside an empty playground while I ate. "So you don't have any questions?" He finally asked, his voice a little strained, but mostly composed, and I let out a breath of release.

"How can you come out in the daytime?" I asked the first thing that had been bothering me, then sighed when he laughed aloud.

"Myth." He told me simply.

"Burned by sunlight?"

"Myth. Sunlight won't hurt us…but it…well I'll have to show you some time." He said with a small smile.

"Um…sleeping in coffins?" I tried to joke and it worked.

"Myth." He chuckled. "Actually, we can't sleep." I started, then realized that this wasn't something he wanted to speak of…it was hard for him, I realized, to speak about this with me.

"Stake to the heart?" He chuckled softly.

"You're welcome to try." He offered with a smirk. "It's very difficult to kill one of us. Usually a vampire has to do it." I nodded, not wanting to think about him dying. "Oh come on. You're missing the obvious one." I knew exactly what he was talking about and sighed.

"Jacob said…the reason his ancestors let you live here was because you didn't hurt people." I offered, and he exhaled softly.

"We try." He told me sadly. "It's very difficult…especially…" He looked over at me wryly. "It's hard to describe, but it's like living off of soy, and tofu, rather than…well say steak and…chicken…whatever you people eat." I grinned a little. "It sustains us, but it's never as satisfying…and sometimes, if someone spills blood or…well…" He glanced at me briefly. "How much do you remember about that night, Bella? When Emmett sat with you."

"It's fuzzy…he tried to keep me calm…he kept telling me that I'd be okay." I looked up at him. "But you found me. You said…my blood? Something about the way it smelled?" He nodded, his jaw tight.

"Bella, to us…you all smell differently." He looked at me hesitantly but I only took another bite, curious rather than disgusted. "You…you in particular, smell…different to me than to the others. Acquaintances of Carlisle's from Italy, they would call you my 'singer.' Your blood calls to me unlike any I've ever encountered…like a drug…a drug specifically tailored to appeal to me."

"So…I'm your brand of heroine?" He laughed loudly, his voice filling the car and making my heart stutter.

"You are _exactly _my brand of heroine." He told me softly, reaching over and touching my cheek. "You cannot imagine how difficult it is…" He must have seen the pain on my face because he stroked my face with his thumb, leaning in and stopping only a few inches from my face, taking a deep breath. "Worth it." He whispered. "More than worth it." I blushed and he grinned, his cold hand surprisingly pleasant on my heated skin. "You smell so good." He chuckled at my hesitant face.

"Thank you?" I asked and he grinned.

"And have I mentioned that I am extremely partial to that color with your skin."

"Alice gave it to me." I mumbled, embarrassed.

"I'll have to thank her." His hand moved down to my shoulder and he pulled away reluctantly, his eyes still on mine, and I wondered if he felt the strange thrill of electricity that buzzed under my skin wherever he'd touched me. "It's getting late." He said sadly, sitting back in his seat. "We shouldn't make Jacob wait…it's kind of him to help us." I nodded, still unable to speak over the buzzing of electricity. He took my hand once again, putting the car in drive, and we were off.

"Edward…" He glanced over, and for the first time I glanced out the window rather than at the dashboard, and then at him. "Oh my god, Edward!" I cried, clutching at his hand in terror, and immediately he was staring at me.

"What? What's wrong!?"

"You…slow down!" I cried, clinging to the seat and his hand. "You're going over a hundred miles an hour! You're going to get us killed…well maybe not you..."

He grimaced. "Of all the things for you to fear, you choose my driving?"

"You're going over a hundred miles an hour!" I spoke slowly and loudly least he misunderstand, but he only chuckled, gently easing his foot off of the pedal. "Are you in a hurry? Jacob can wait a bit…"

"I always drive like this." He chuckled, but continued to slow. "Better?"

"Of course you do." I grumbled, checking the speedometer as he edged toward eighty. "Yea, almost." He sighed, letting it drop down to seventy five, which I could live with. Lifting an eyebrow and staring at me, he grinned when I glared at him. "Will you watch the road!?" I could just imagine another car slamming into us…he'd be fine but…I flinched when I remembered the last time and he seemed to catch my look, slowing even more with a grimace. But that reminded me of something…of what I'd been planning to ask before nearly having a heart attack. "Edward…" I asked after a moment.

"Yes?" He still seemed irritated at driving slowly so I hesitated, making him look over at me and soften his tone. "What would you like to ask now?" He asked with a teasing smile.

"How did Jasper do that? At lunch?" He stared at me in surprise then and I resisted the urge to tell him to watch the road.

"How did you…"

"I was really upset…and then I was okay….but I didn't understand, and Jasper…it's like I felt him…he thought it was funny that I was irritated..." It was hard to explain but he seemed to know exactly what I meant.

"Bella, why on earth did you think it was Jasper?"

"He was smiling. And he seemed to know…I don't know…was it Jasper?"

"Yes." He assured me. "You're right. Only…no one has really noticed that before. Jasper suspected…he was right…." He thought for a moment, then smiled. "Carlisle believes that we bring something of ourselves into this life, and some show it more…powerfully than others. Jasper was charismatic, so now he's able to influence and feel the emotions of those around him." I stared at him wide-eyed, scarcely able to believe it. "And Alice…we believe she had premonitions."

"So she's a…psychic?" I asked faintly.

"Yes….her visions are subjective, especially when people make decisions that conflict or change them. But she's usually close."

"And you?" I asked.

"I…I can read minds." I stared at him in open-mouthed horror, my cheeks reddening, and he hurried to reassure me. "Not yours."

"What?"

"Yes, it's very frustrating. Anyone else, and their thoughts are perfectly clear to me…my entire family, everyone at school…I've never met a person I couldn't read…until you. You're mind is completely silent to me…"

"Is something…wrong with me?" He chuckled.

"I don't believe so. I think there's something about your mind…your father was similar. His thoughts were harder to hear than anyone else's." He paused while I stared at the dashboard trying to take it all in.

'That explains why he keeps asking me what I'm thinking…' I thought with a small smile. "Carlisle and Esme?"

"The rest of my family are not, as we say, gifted, but Carlisle has exceptional compassion for his patients. So much so that he couldn't kill humans…and so he learned that he could drink the blood of animals. Esme…her gift is…love." He smiled slightly at me. "She loves all of us as her children." I thought of Carlisle, how he spent so much time trying to help me, and of Esme who'd visited me in the hospital. In my opinion, they certainly were 'gifted.'

"And Emmett and Rosalie?"

"All vampires are strong, but Emmett is the strongest we've ever encountered." I thought about that for a moment...the feel of Emmett's strong arms around me as I'd felt that he was being incredibly careful...but that he would protect me, the same feeling I'd had when Carlisle had sat with me all those times in the hospital...and now, as I sat with Edward. I was safe. Edward's voice tugged me back into awareness. And Rosalie….well, I guess you could say she's…tenacious." I giggled thinking of her glare.

"And they're together." I clarified. "Alice and Jasper, and Emmett and Rosalie."

"Yes." He grinned. "They aren't very good at hiding it. We only choose the sibling cover because it makes it easier for us to start younger and stay in one place longer. We'll get to go to Rosalie's wedding again soon, I suppose."

'Again? Wait…' I froze, turning to stare at him. "Edward…how old _are_ you?" I asked softly, and he tensed a little.

"Seventeen."

"Right." I rolled my eyes. "How long have you been seventeen?" He hesitated, and then smiled.

"A while." At that point we pulled up to the La Push border and Edward stopped the car, flashing over to my side of the car and I jumped, squeaking a little when he suddenly opened the door, laughing at my surprise. I took his hand and let him help me out of the car. I looked around but didn't see Jacob. "He's almost here." He told me quietly, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand and moving his face closer, hesitating for a moment. "I wish I could see you home." He admitted softly, lifting a hand to touch my face. "I wish I could give you a ride in the morning…and home from school…I wish I could visit you." His eyes were filled with longing as he stared at me and I lifted a hand, touching his face.

"I can visit you." I said softly. "I can come to _your_ house...you can show me your coffin." I teased, and he laughed, finally resting his forehead against mine and breathing deeply. "I can even give you a ride some time if you can stand going the speed limit."

"For you? I think I can." He glanced over at the border and sighed, and then I was able to hear a car approaching. Almost too quickly for me to notice, he brushed his lips against my cheek, then placed the take out bag in my hand. "Goodnight, Bella." He whispered.

"Goodnight Edward." I squeezed his hand, pulling away and turning to face Jacob's car, which pulled into sight.

Edward watched while I climbed into Jacob's car, and waited until we drove off to start his car once more. "So, how did it go?" Jacob asked, feigning excitement.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not doing this with you."

"Oh come on! Did you kiss him?"

"Shut up."

"Did he promise to call you?!"

"Shut up!" I cried, shoving at him as he laughed, my own lips turning up into an involuntary grin.

"He is sooo hot!" He teased, stretching out the word like a stereotypical middle school girl.

"Oh god, Jacob! Shut up!" I covered my red face with my hands while he laughed, speeding toward Billy's house where I hoped I wouldn't get the third degree, and praying that Edward had been far enough away that he hadn't heard that.

Billy glanced up from the table where his wheelchair sat, shooting me a relieved look before crossing his arms and glaring at us. I sighed. As if sensing his father's mood, Jacob had taken the long way home, interrogating me about my date good naturedly and stealing a bite of my leftover shrimp as I'd finally given in, telling him a little about our night as we had sat outside of Billy's house. But we'd had to come in eventually. "Jacob, would you excuse us?" It wasn't a request, and Jacob sighed, shrugging at me apologetically, and then heading to his room where I knew he'd overhear everything. "Bella, I think we need to have a talk." I sat the take out bag on the counter and sat at the table across from him, my hands clasped in my lap. "Bella, your father was my best friend for many years. We were friends when we were teenagers, and when he died..." I flinched, looking off to the side as the fresh pain hit, and I found myself wishing for Jasper's gift, something that surprised me. "I'd do anything to protect his daughter. And that includes keeping you away from the Cullens." I looked up sharply, my eyes narrowing.

"I'm sorry, Billy, but my dating life is absolutely none of your business."

"If you are going to live under my roof…"

"What? You'll kick me out if I see Edward? If I'm friends with the others?" He shook his head and sighed deeply.

"I do not want you seeing that boy, Bella. He will most certainly not be coming here."

"Why is that, Billy?" I asked angrily, knowing that Jacob could hear us, and Billy softened a little.

"Bella, you don't know anything about that family. They're…dangerous." He glanced toward the hallway, probably knowing as well as I did that Jacob was pressed against the door, listening. "I won't allow Jacob to drive you to see him."

"Then I'll drive myself." I informed him coldly. "I know enough about to Cullens to know that they're good _people. _And I trust them completely._"_ His eyes widened when I stressed the word 'people.'

"You seem…well informed about the Cullens." He told me quietly.

"Maybe even more informed than you." He started, peering at me as he leaned forward.

"And yet, you still wish to see the doctor's son?"

"Yes." I said firmly. He shook his head.

"You don't know what you're doing Bella. You…you're making a mistake. Do you _want_ to die too?" He whispered the words harshly and I stood, slamming my hands on the table.

"I'm dating Edward Cullen, no matter how you feel about it. Do I need to pack?"

He glared at me, his conscience apparently going to war with his beliefs. "Of course not." He finally snapped, and I turned, heading off to my room. "Pack….of all the ridiculous…da*m it Charlie…stubborn, the lot of you…" I ignored his grumblings as I stepped inside my bedroom.

"Good night Billy." I shut my door softly, not wanting to push my luck. I _did _still live in the man's house.

* * *

Emmett glanced over at his sister who had her arms crossed anxiously where she sat in Jasper's lap. Edward, who'd been on some kind of emotional high since arriving home minutes after dropping his 'date' off, suddenly began to look affected by her worry, and leaned forward, concentrating on her visions. "What's going on?" The four of them looked up when Carlisle entered the living room, his eyebrows furrowed. "Alice? Has something happened?"

"Bella's going to fight with Billy." She told him a little worriedly. "He knows she went out with Edward…he's really upset." Edward leaned forward, teeth bared, as though he were about to run to La Push and take Bella away, and Emmett couldn't blame him too much. He'd found himself caring about the girl as soon as he'd met her, fighting back every time the smell of her blood had hit him that night, concentrating solely on comforting the distraught girl. He couldn't forget how she'd trembled under his hand, crying about the cold as he'd done his best to keep her warm…how the girl had asked him if _he _were cold without his jacket. Then Carlisle had told them all about her when she'd woken once more… how she was refusing to eat, how she was falling deeper and deeper into withdraw, and he had waited anxiously for permission to visit her…he wanted to help her, to do something to ease her pain for reasons he couldn't understand.

Then, in the parking lot, he'd been half a step behind Edward when the van had headed straight for her, his chest clenching when he'd heard her head hit the concrete, sure that she was dead this time. He'd pleaded with Carlisle's god to save her, to at least let her live long enough for one of them to change her…he didn't want to let this girl go. Not after sitting with her in the rain and comforting her while she cried. And the next day, she'd stepped up to him after lunch, reaching out and touching his cold arm as though it didn't bother her…and thanking him so sincerely for sitting with her that night. He hadn't been able to help himself as he'd hugged her, inhaling the floral scent that wafted from her, and assuring her that it was no problem, and that he was glad she was okay. He wanted to keep this girl in the same way he'd wanted to keep Alice, and told Edward as much.

"Does she need help?" Carlisle asked carefully, taking a seat beside Emmett and leaning forward, his eyes on Alice who shook her head slowly, a smirk turning at the corners of her mouth.

"No…she doesn't need any help." She laughed at something only she and Edward could see. "She's mad too…" Edward chuckled at something then, shaking his head. "She can hold her own just fine." Alice assured the others who couldn't read her mind, and Jasper grinned a little as her amusement washed over him, pushing it toward Emmett who laughed as well. Carlisle smiled a little, watching the four of them laugh and sitting back, his eyes thoughtful.

"She knows, Carlisle." Edward told him quietly, crossing his arms, and Emmett stared at his brother in surprise. He hadn't mentioned that when he'd come home.

Carlisle glanced at Alice who only watched him seriously and he frowned at the others. "How?" He asked Edward.

"She spoke to Jacob about the legends and figured it out." Carlisle nodded, his face troubled, but Jasper spoke up, his voice soft as his arms wrapped around the woman on his lap.

"Alice saw her becoming one of us. So she was going to find out eventually…she's obviously not going to tell anyone." Emmett looked at his youngest brother in surprise. He'd been expecting a little more anger…maybe some threats against the 'little chief' who'd told.

"You like her!" Emmett accused with a surprised and somewhat delighted grin, and Edward chuckled at whatever Jasper was thinking. Finally their southern brother grinned ruefully.

"I didn't have much choice." He said with a shrug, crossing his arms, his expression softening. The others nodded and Carlisle smiled, glancing up at Esme who joined them, sitting at his side. "Did she know, Edward? About me?" Edward nodded, then turned to their parents to explain while Emmett listened in surprise.

"She felt Jasper manipulating her emotions today in the cafeteria and…she guessed? She knew what we were, and I guess she figured out that Jasper was behind the way she was feeling."

"She was…fine with it." Jasper explained further, staring at Carlisle in disbelief. "As though she figured it out and just accepted it." Carlisle smiled, looking at the four of them.

"And Rosalie?" Emmett sighed, crossing her arms.

"She isn't speaking to us." He informed his father shortly, and Carlisle shook his head.

"She'll come around." Alice tried to assure him, and they all looked at her hopefully.

"Are you sure?" Emmett asked skeptically. She shook her head.

"Not really."

* * *

I glanced up when someone knocked on my door. "Come in." I invited softly, looking up from my new copy of Pride and Prejudice to smile a little at Jacob who entered, shutting the door behind him and coming over to sit on the bed, his lip between his teeth as he eyed me hesitantly.

"Hey. You okay?" He asked quietly. I nodded, laughing a little.

"Yea, thanks."

"I am sorry…about him. It's not any of his business. I'll still give you rides if you want."

"Thanks, Jacob."

"He seems really cool…" He offered, and I grinned at him.

"Yea…he is." Jacob snorted, and for a minute I thought he was going to start his teasing again, but he only ruffled my hair, making me laugh and shove at him.

"Well, night Bella."

"Night Jacob."

**Thank you all for reading :) I hope you liked it.**


	7. Chapter 7

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**A****nneCullen****: Hey, thank you so much for reviewing. I wish I could send you a private message. I hope you continue to enjoy.**

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I was in the car again…the cold wrapping around me and making it impossible to think. I trembled, trying to move, but my leg hurt and Charlie was dead and it was my fault and wasn't something else supposed to happen? Wasn't someone supposed to show up and help me? Where were Edward and Emmett? What about Carlisle? But I was still trapped in the car! I tried to shove my hands against the door but they were too hard to move…I twisted and turned but couldn't get anywhere. "Help!" I cried, praying that someone would hear me. "Please! Someone help!" I was sobbing now, scratching at the door, desperate to get out. I would die in here…I was going to die! "No! Someone help! Edward! Please!" I screamed.

"Bella, it's okay!" That wasn't Edward's voice…who was it. "Hey, Bells…wake up, you're okay." Hot hands touched my face. "You've kicked all the covers off, silly." The voice mumbled, covering me once more, and I huddled under the blankets, opening my eyes with a start. "Hey, you're okay." Jacob was staring at me, worry written all over his face in the dim light. The curtain was pulled slightly aside, the bright moonlight illuminating his face as he moved closer, one hand hesitantly lifting to touch my shoulder. "Don't cry." He tried to comfort me as I bit my lip, a sob breaking through my lips. "Shh…It's going to be okay…I'm sorry." He murmured random phrases of comfort while I sat up, putting my head in my hands and sobbing in earnest. "I…um…" He looked around the room, obviously trying to find some help, then sat on the bed beside me, leaning against the headboard and pulling me against his chest. I realized that he wore a large white t-shirt and long sweatpants and was momentarily grateful before sobbing against his shoulder.

"Sorry….sorry Jacob." I chocked out, hot tears running down my face. He reached around my shoulders, helping me lay against the pillow, still in his arms, and pulled the blanket up to cover me, staying on top of the blanket.

"Shh….it's okay. It's really cold in here. I'll look at that window later. You're freezing…don't' want you to get sick. Then Edward would have to drag his butt all the way out here to take care of you, and Billy would throw a fit." He was quiet for a long minute while I didn't calm down, rubbing my back in soothing circles, reminding me of Carlisle, how his hand would automatically go to my back, the other gentle on the back of my head…how he would rock me back and forth slowly in movements almost too slight to notice. "He would…" I looked up at him in confusion, tears still streaming down my face. "Edward. I'll bet anything he'd come if I called him." Jacob told me, his voice hesitant as I continued crying, unable to stop the horrible sobs that wracked my body. "He gave me his number, you know. When he came to talk to me…gave it to me and told me to call if you ever needed him. He promised he'd come."

His attempt to comfort me only made me cry harder. Edward would come. He already cared about me enough to break whatever rule said he couldn't come here…whatever treaty had been drawn up so long ago, and here I was, sobbing like a two year old over a stupid dream…over the stupid dream where my dad died and it was my fault. I forced myself to shake my head. He couldn't come here. There would be no rules broken because of me. I couldn't cause them trouble. I'd done enough. "Fine." I managed to sob. "I'm fine." I shook my head when Jacob hesitated. "Don't call him…it's late."

"Technically it's early…nearly three." He tried to make his voice light.

"Sorry." I whispered again, hating that I'd woken him.

"Don't worry about it." He backed away, pulling the covers up more. "Hey, don't get used to this. I'm only giving you a free pass because you're still new here. Try this again in a month, and you're butt's sleeping outside." I had to laugh a little, even if the pain, the longing to see my father, was still there, a tangible ache in my chest. "I know you miss him." He told me softly, sitting up on the edge of the bed. "It gets easier though." He ruffled my hair, smiling a little as he stood. "Night, Bella."

"Thanks Jacob." I mumbled, wiping at my face as he shut my door. Turning my head into my pillow, I let the pain have me, sobbing against the pillow until I finally fell asleep.

* * *

"Hello?" Jacob sighed, unable to believe he was doing this. But Edward had insisted…all but begging him to call if something was wrong with Bella, insisting that if there was _anything _wrong, anything at all, that he should call, no matter when. And there was something wrong. He could still hear her crying, and it had been two hours. Not wanting to embarrass her or…whatever happened when you didn't pretend not to hear the girl in the bedroom across from your crying…he'd just shut his own door and hoped she was okay. But it had been two hours. At this point, he picked up his phone. It was five am…he could leave a message on the guy's cellphone...tell him to meet him somewhere the next day…he could cheer Bella up and everything would be better. So it had surprised him when Edward had actually answered.

Although Edward didn't sound tired, Jacob still felt a little embarrassed…but he didn't know what to do. There was something about the Cullens…something he tried not to think too hard about. But he'd seen Bella after going out with the guy and she'd been so happy…practically glowing. And to see her in so much pain now…he had no idea how to help. "Jacob? Is something wrong? Is Bella hurt?" Jacob shook himself out of his stupor, berating himself both for calling the guy and for obviously making him panic.

"Yea…no! Well…I was going to leave a voicemail." He paused. "Man, what are you doing up at 5am? Don't you sleep?" Edward snorted.

"What did you need, Jacob?" Jacob took a deep breath, feeling like an idiot.

"It's just…I was going to ask you to meet me somewhere tomorrow…with Bella. She's…I think she had a nightmare and…she's still crying…I don't know what…" Jacob clenched his jaw. He could still hear her sobbing. "It would cheer her up."

Edward's voice sounded strained. "How long?"

"What?"

"Has she been crying?"

"Like…more than two hours now…I thought she'd fall asleep…I woke her up." Jacob heard Edward take a harsh breath and was surprised at the pained sound. It was as though the guy already... Jacob shook his head, letting the thought trail off. It wasn't really any of his business. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"No…you should have. Thank you. Can you meet me in town somewhere? Whenever she wakes up?"

"Yea…I have to go to the hardware store…is that okay? I can call you when I'm on my way."

"Yes. Thank you, Jacob." He couldn't doubt the sincerity in his voice.

"Oh…don't tell her I called. She'd probably be embarrassed." Not that he actually knew…he'd only known the girl for a few days. But she didn't seem like the type who wanted others to know how much she actually suffered.

"I won't. Goodbye Jacob."

"Bye."

* * *

I woke up shivering, too cold to go back to sleep, even if it was too early to get up on a Saturday. Forcing my body to work, I stood, stumbling into the bathroom and splashed warm water on my face, unable to deal with more cold. It was freezing in the house, and I wondered if Billy had heat or if he was just one of those people who would tell me to put a sweater on and save money. I'd had to do it before. That didn't mean I liked it…I contemplated taking a quick hot shower, but Jacob showered in the mornings so I didn't want to take all of his hot water…I'd had my hot shower the night before.

After pulling on a sweater and jeans, I slipped an extra pair of socks on and headed for the kitchen, finding Billy sitting at the table with a mug of coffee and a newspaper. He seemed over his irritation from the night before as he smiled at me. "Morning Bella."

"Good morning, Billy." I mumbled, and he lifted an eyebrow.

"You okay? You look kind of sick…you don't have a headache or anything do you?" He asked, suddenly looking worried.

"No, I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well." I pulled out a bowl and found some generic cereal under the cabinet, pouring myself a bowlful and sitting at the table.

"Is it the bed?" I started to wave him off when Jacob came in, a towel around his waist and another around his neck. I wondered how he could walk around practically naked when it was so cold…I'd almost put my clothes on over my pajamas.

"That room's freezing, Dad." He said, still standing behind his father and grinning when I glanced away, focusing on my cereal. "We ought to look at the window. It probably needs to be replaced."

Billy caught me staring at my bowl pointedly and frowned, glancing back at his son and throwing his arms up. "Boy, get some clothes on! Poor girl's trying to eat! For the love of…you'd think the boy was raised in a barn." He grumbled, shaking his head as Jacob laughed and made his way back down the hallway at a leisurely pace. I laughed a little, feeling something warm in my chest as I smiled at Billy and when I thought of Jacob's grin as he walked away…I was starting to feel at home here. "So what did you want to do today, Bella?"

"We're going to the hardware store. I need to get something to fix the window." Jacob's head appeared in the hallway as he called out to us, and then disappeared into the bathroom once more.

"We'll make sure to get that window fixed. And if you get too cold, the thermostat is on that wall." He pointed and I felt a little relieved. At least he didn't begrudge me living with him. "And there's plenty of extra blankets in the linen closet." I nodded, resolving to pile some on my bed. "I know it gets a lot colder here than it did back in Arizona." I nodded emphatically, about to reply when Jacob leaned on my chair.

"C'mon Bella! We'd better go."

"Is the hardware store even open yet?" I asked, taking another bite of my cereal. He rolled his eyes, dropping into the chair across from me, and I pushed the cereal box toward him. "Hungry?" He reached into the box with his hand, grabbing a handful of cereal and throwing it into his mouth. "Ew, Jacob."

"Girls." He mumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair. "Just wanted to get it out of the way. I got better things to do than play handyman you know?" He kicked my chair and stuck his tongue out at me, and I reciprocated the gesture on instinct, catching his leg instead of his chair. It was impossible to take his griping seriously. "Ow! Hey!"

"Well then don't kick my chair." I retorted, taking another bite.

"Well if you wouldn't…"

"Why don't you two head on over to the hardware store? I'm sure it's open." Billy spoke over Jacob's retort. "And I'll stay here and read my paper in peace?" He looked pointedly at his son and I snorted, standing and placing my bowl in the sink. "Don't worry about the dishes, Bella. I'll do them after I'm done. Go on you two. It's a nice day out."

I rolled my eyes. 'Yea. A toasty 49 degrees.'

"Yea, Bella, come on!" Jacob ran out the door and I followed, throwing on my coat on my way out the door.

Jacob drove a little too quickly as we exited La Push and I glared at him. First Edward, now him. Maybe it wasn't just the vampires. Maybe people just couldn't drive in this town. "Stop with the looks. I'm slowing down." He griped, rolling his eyes at me.

"You don't even have your license! You do know that my dad died in a _car_ _wreck_." I closed my eyes immediately, wishing I hadn't said that. I was just snippy with him because I was tired and embarrassed and this was ridiculous. I couldn't sit around and think about my father 24/7 and I couldn't feel bad about enjoying myself. He wouldn't have wanted that. 'Who knows what he would have wanted? You certainly never bothered to…' I bit my lip hard, not wanting that particular accusation from my own inner voice. "Sorry Jake." I mumbled. He reached over for a second, touching my arm.

"I'm sorry." He told me softly. "I wasn't thinking…" I shook my head firmly, trying to discreetly wipe at my eyes.

"No, _I'm_ sorry. That wasn't…I shouldn't have said that. Sorry." He squeezed my arm a little, turning his attention back to the road.

"So, have you seen any master cylinders around? I need to get my car built!" He asked, and I was grateful to him for changing the subject.

"Nope, not lately. But I'm keeping an eye out." I promised jokingly, making him laugh as he pulled into the parking lot of the only hardware store in town. It looked to be a privately owned shop, much smaller than the chain places, and the cashier greeted Jacob by name as we walked in. I followed Jacob around, feeling a bit like a puppy as he wandered the isles, mumbling on about something involving windows and screws…I didn't really pay attention. "Hey, look who it is." Jacob's voice seemed genuinely surprised and I looked up, feeling my heart stutter for a second as honey brown eyes met my own.

* * *

Edward had been surprised when in the middle of playing a piece on his piano, his phone had vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out and checking the number, he'd stopped playing abruptly and had raced up to his room, leaving his bewildered family in the living room. He'd known that Jacob Black had sounded a bit embarrassed…but he didn't know if there was any way he could adequately express his thanks to the boy who'd been brave enough to call him. Bella looked awful, although he wasn't sure how well a human would see it. Her face was vampire pale with dark circles around her eyes, which were red from lack of sleep and crying. Jacob obviously hadn't been exaggerating. 'Grief counseling?' He thought about it for a long moment, unsure if he should suggest it…or maybe speak to Carlisle about it. He had wanted more than anything last night to race over to La Push and into her window, pull her into his arms and comfort her…he wanted to make her smile, to ease her pain. But there was nothing he could do…not while she was in La Push and not in immediate danger. He couldn't break the treaty over a nightmare…not when his family's well being was at stake.

She was surprised to see him, and he almost laughed aloud at Jacob's terrible acting. "Wow, what a surprise to see him here, huh Bella. Well I'm just going to walk over there." The boy ambled off, not meeting Edward's eyes, but his thoughts were centered around the two of them, trying to figure out this intense relationship, and then moved back to the tools he was looking for.

"Hello Bella." She blinked, coming out of her stupor, and smiled at him a little.

"Hey…what are you doing here?" He realized he hadn't bothered thinking up an answer for that, so he shrugged.

"Emmett wanted me to pick up a hammer." He lied easily. She lifted an eyebrow, glancing down at his empty hands, but didn't question him further. "What are you doing?"

"Jacob dragged me over here. He needs something for a window…or something." He chuckled. "I think it's broken…the one in my room. It was freezing last night."

"And you hate the cold." He grinned, stepping closer. "So what are you doing today? A nap?" He suggested. She sighed.

"Do I look that bad?" She asked self consciously, tilting her head forward and using her hair to shield her face. He reached forward, pushing her hair back behind her ear and trying to accustom himself once again to the burn in the back of his throat. It was a second before he could answer.

"You look beautiful." He answered sincerely, smiling a little when her face turned a lovely red. "You also look very tired." She grimaced.

"I didn't sleep well."

He didn't answer…he couldn't tell her that he already know that. It sounded as though she'd spend most of the night crying, something that both caused him pain and worried him. Then he smiled a little. "I would bet that you slept better than I did." She giggled softly, nodding.

"Yes, I probably did."

"Would you like to come over today?" He asked suddenly. "To my house. Emmett and Rosalie are out, but I know that Carlisle and Esme miss you, and Alice would love to see you."

She looked at him hesitantly. "Is…would it be…okay?"

"Of course." He assured her, a little confused. The fact that he was unable to read her mind was certainly an inconvenience. "Carlisle and Esme would love to have you…and maybe Carlisle can give you something to help you sleep."

"But…is Jasper there?" He frowned. How would she know to be afraid of Jasper?

He looked around, making sure no one was in hearing distance. Jacob was at the counter, paying for his items, unbeknownst to Bella. "Yes…I'll protect you, Bella. Jasper won't hurt you." She stared at him in surprise.

"I didn't think he would!" She protested, and then he was completely confused. "It's just...he seems…does he not like me? I mean, I know Rosalie doesn't…" Edward sighed, feeling a wave of irritation for his selfish sister. He'd hoped Bella hadn't noticed that.

"That's my fault…not yours. Jasper is the newest member of our family, along with Alice. He hasn't been…a _vegetarian_ as long as we have, so I asked him to keep his distance." She seemed a little worried so he took her hand. "You don't have to be afraid, Bella. I won't let anything happen to you. Besides, don't you want to see my coffin?" That finally coaxed a smile out of her and she nodded, looking around.

"Where…did he leave?!" She asked incredulously. "He left me here!" Edward chuckled.

"I suppose you're coming with me then, if that's okay." She looked up at him, smiling shyly when he laced his fingers with hers.

"I don't mind."

* * *

He cranked the heat up, glancing over at me as I placed my hands near the vents. I didn't bother asking where that hammer he was supposed to be buying for Emmett was. He'd obviously made that up on the spot. 'Did Jacob call him? But when? I've been with him pretty much all morning…' I shook off the thought. I didn't really need to know. I was just glad to be with him now…and excited to see Carlisle and Esme once more. It surprised me how much I missed them after only a few days…then I remembered his other brother and sister. "Where are Emmett and Rosalie?" I wondered, glancing over at him as I began to warm up.

He glanced over at me a little hesitantly, but I kept my expression curious. "Hunting." He told me shortly. I stared at him, waiting for more information, but he only stared tensely at the road. I lowered my gaze, wondering why that had upset him, then glanced back up when he took her hand. "I'm sorry. I just…they're out hunting." This time it was said in a more casual voice, although it seemed a little forced. "Emmett and I were hunting when we found you, but being around people at school all the time…it makes it easier if we hunt more often." I looked over at him hesitantly and he grinned a little ruefully. "Go ahead and ask your question." He shook his head with a small smile. "Always curious."

"What are they hunting?" I asked carefully. He looked at me again then sighed.

"I can't be sure. But Emmett's favorite is bear if he can find any." I forced myself to remain composed, nodding slightly. He grinned at my façade. "He likes them the best in the spring when the grizzly bears are coming out of hibernation…they're more irritable. Makes it more fun."

I inclined my head thoughtfully, humming in agreement. "There's nothing more fun than an irritable grizzly." I replied, and he snorted, shaking his head.

"Tell me what you're thinking please." Only then did I give in and allow some of my amazement to show on my face.

"I just…I can't imagine it…Emmett fighting a grizzly bear…"

"It isn't much of a contest." He amended. "But Emmett likes to play with his food."

"Well…what about you? What's your favorite?" I wondered. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then gave in.

"Mountain lion." I thought about that for a moment. In a way, Emmett seemed like a bear, huge and muscled. Edward, and Jasper as well, were more catlike, long and lean and dangerous…I wondered if Jasper liked big cats as well.

Edward pulled onto a long, winding drive, and I wondered if I would ever be able to find this place. The trees seemed to press in on the sides and I looked ahead, trying to make out a house or a crypt or something. Honestly I had no idea what to expect…he hadn't exactly given me any clues. So when we turned a corner and I finally caught sight of the house, my jaw literally dropped. "What do you think?" He asked, appearing at me door and holding out a hand for me to take.

My brain supplied works such as 'mansion' and 'beautiful' and 'holy crap you've got to be kidding me,' but my mouth seemed incapable of words. "It…the…wow." I stood slowly, standing at his side and taking in the home, very aware that of the fact that he hadn't relinquished my hand. "It…wow." He chuckled softly, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb.

"Esme and Alice did a lot of the renovations…Esme likes architecture and studied it for quite a while. Or course we all did some of the work." I continued to stare in stunned silence for a moment and then he tugged on my hand. "Would you like to see the inside of the house as well? Or would you rather stay out here in the cold all day?"

"Cold's fine." I muttered absently, studying the beautiful architecture of the three-story home. He laughed, wrapping an arm around me and guiding me toward the door.

"But the inside is nice as well." He promised. "And it's warmer." I let him guide me through the front door where I was met with a blast of warm air and a pair of thin, familiar icy arms.

"Bella! He didn't tell us you were coming over!" Alice stuck her tongue out at Edward, squeezing me tightly and kissing my cheek when I wrapped my arms around her. "We would have had some food for you or something!" I laughed, shaking my head.

"I just had breakfast. But thanks." I felt a wave of happiness above and beyond what I was already feeling and turned in surprise, immediately spotting Jasper by the wall, my lips turning up in greeting. "Hi Jasper."

He chuckled and the emotions disappeared. "Hey Bella." He remained by the wall and I felt a little prick of disappointment before I noticed Edward watching his brother carefully. When I'd asked about Jasper before, I hadn't been worried that he would hurt me. I wasn't afraid of Jasper. He'd seemed friendly enough at lunch the day before. I _was_ worried that he didn't like me, or that my presence here would make things harder for him.

"Bella?" I looked up at Esme's voice and smiled brightly as the woman hurried over to embrace me. "It's so good to see you." She squeezed me gently, kissing my hair. "How have you been, sweetheart?"

"Good. Thanks. Your home is…" I looked around for a moment. "Beautiful." She smiled, her eyes softening as she cupped my cheek with a cool hand.

"Thank you, sweetheart." She said softly, then glanced over my shoulder. I turned to find Carlisle in a sweater and jeans, the first time I'd seen him without a lab coat. He smiled at me, obviously pleased to see me, and stepped forward, reaching out and wrapping his arms around me, a gesture I immediately reciprocated, my heart warming when he kissed the top of my head. I wondered if any place could be safer than in his arms, my head pressed against his chest.

"It's good to see you, Bella. How have you been?"

"Good…thank you." He looked down at my face, his eyes growing concerned as he brought a hand up to my face, his thumb grazing my cheek.

"Are you sure?" He asked softly.

"I just didn't sleep well." I tried to wave it off, but he didn't seem convinced and I wondered how good their eyesight was. Jacob and Billy hadn't seemed this concerned.

"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" Edward came to my rescue, meeting his father's gaze and nodding at something…making me realize that he was reading Carlisle's mind.

"Sure."

Carlisle stepped back, giving me a small smile. "I'll be in my office if you need me." Esme followed him as they headed up the stairs, and I looked around for Alice and Jasper.

"They're giving us privacy, I suppose." Edward answered my questioning look, then took my hand, leading me into the gorgeous modern kitchen where he handed me a bottle of water. I took a sip, turning around and trying to look at all the appliances and making him chuckle. "We've never actually used it…you're welcome to cook something if you like." I shook my head in awe. I couldn't imagine actually using any of this…I might break something. I was about to say so when I realized that the entire back wall must be glass. He noticed me looking and moved to stand at my side, placing his arm around me. "We never have to hide here." He told me softly, his lips closer to my ear than before, and I felt my heart stutter once more.

"This…is amazing." I looked out at the stream that ran through their backyard, at the greenhouse and the trees at the edge of the yard…I glanced up at Edward who was smiling down at me, his eyes holding some emotion I couldn't identify.

"Come on. Let's go upstairs." And we did, up the sweeping staircase and down a hallway where he pointed out the rooms of his siblings that lay behind closed doors. And then, at the end of the long hallway, he pushed open a door. "And this is my room." Despite the fact that I knew he couldn't sleep, the absence of a bed did surprise me. A black leather sofa took up most of one wall, while a huge CD collection and an expensive looking stereo took up another. I approached the collection hesitantly, keeping my hand behind my back lest I break something, and looked at his collection which was better stocked than most music stores.

"How are these organized?" I asked softly.

"Um…year, and then personal preference within that frame." I looked back at him, his absent tone piquing my curiosity, and he smiled. "I thought I would be relieved…having you here, knowing everything. But it's more than that…I'm happy." I felt my cheeks redden and looked back at the CD's, ignoring his amused smile.

"I'm glad." Turning, I grinned at him a little. "You know, it's not really that big of a deal…" He laughed incredulously.

"Not that big of a deal?"

"Yea. So you have weird diets. So what?" I shrugged and crossed my arms casually. "This one time, my mom dated this guy that only ate this one kind of plant and when we went to the store he would…" He laughed aloud, effectively cutting off my story and moving over to my side, wrapping his arms around me and letting me feel the vibrations of his laughter in my own chest.

"Weird diets?" He shook his head. "You're incredible." I let my head rest on his shoulder and he guided us over to the couch, sitting down and pulling me against his side. I closed my eyes, feeling myself relax against him and the back of the sofa.

* * *

Edward heard her breathing start to shift and smiled a little, rubbing her arm slowly. He hadn't been sure if she would be relaxed enough around him to let herself fall asleep, but it seemed like she was perfectly comfortable with him. 'Weird diets.' He snorted again, unable to believe this girl. 'She finds out we're a family of vampires and decides that it's a good idea to spend even more time with me.' But he wasn't about to complain. Instead he waited for her to actually fall asleep. Once she was more deeply asleep, he shifted her carefully, moving to lie on the sofa and carefully pulling her beside him. He didn't need to do much; as soon as he was on his side, she was curled up against him, his shirt scrunched in her fist, and he laughed silently, rubbing her back.

Taking a deep breath, his nose pressed into her hair, he was happy to realize that the burn in his throat was now an afterthought to how wonderful she smelled…and how amazing it felt to hold her in his arms. She mumbled softly and he realized that he'd nearly forgotten that she talked in her sleep. Grinning a little, he listened to her incoherent mumbles, glancing up when Alice asked him silently if she could come in. He invited her in, his voice to soft for Bella to hear even if she were awake, and Alice stepped into his room, a thick blanket in her arms.

'She needs to sleep...she looks awful.' Alice placed the blanket over Bella and Edward tucked it between the two of them, wrapping her up to keep her warm. 'She's been crying too.'

"I know. It was Jacob who called me this morning. She's still grieving for her father." Alice nodded, her eyes sad.

'I think Carlisle's worried too…but he thinks sleep will help her.' Alice grinned down at Bella whose hand tightened around Edward's shirt, her head on his shoulder. Disappearing for a moment, she reappeared with a small pillow that she placed under Bella's head. 'There…she sleeps better with you.' Her thoughts were teasing, but he knew that she was serious. In all honestly, he was glad...it stoked his ego a little that he could make her feel safe and comfortable. 'So, there's going to be a storm tonight. Emmett's going to want to play ball…you should bring Bella. I think she'll have fun.' Edward nodded, excited at the prospect, and thanked her softly. 'She'll only sleep for a few hours. Enjoy it while you can.' He rolled his eyes, pulling Bella closer and stroking her long hair.

"Did…the electric…Mom?" He looked down in fond amusement at her disjointed words, and then decided to try something.

"What, Bella?" He asked quietly, his nose touching her cheek.

"The bill, Mom. You have to…no…." She sighed a little in her sleep and he frowned. "I'll do it." He pressed his lips against her hair carefully, very aware that he had to be cautious with her this close. But that sentence disturbed him in the same way her casual statement about cooking had.

'Five or six…she learned to cook when she was five or six. That can't be safe, especially considering how clumsy she is now.' He tried to imagine Bella, a small, clumsy, fragile little girl being forced to cook for herself…using the oven, reaching over a hot stove…he shuddered. It was bad enough that she went near a hot stove now. 'But how much responsibility did this girl's mother put on her?'

"Edward?" He looked down in surprise…her heartbeat was still steady, her breathing still slow and deep. But she hadn't looked up. He smiled…she was still asleep. "Edward?" She asked again, her voice trailing off.

"I'm here." He whispered, stroking her cheek with a thumb.

"Love you." She mumbled. He froze, his hand resting on her face, his other arm under her. Her dream seemed to drift away and she went back to mumbling something about a cactus, but the words echoed in his head and he thought his heart would burst.

'She loves me. She loves me. She said it. Those words. She loves me back…' He swallowed hard, forcing himself to go back to stroking her back lest he did something he would regret…like bringing his lips too close to hers…and closer to her neck. It would be so easy…so easy to lose himself in this girl. 'This girl that loves me.' He smiled, his eyes closing as he laid his head next to her. He couldn't sleep, but he could lie down with her…he could hold her for as long as she would allow it. Edward's lips stretched into a smile he couldn't suppress and he knew that Emmett would never let him hear the end of it if he were to catch sight of him now. 'Who cares? Bella loves me!'

* * *

I hadn't felt so comfortable in…well…ever. I was surrounded by warmth, balanced by a cool hand against my back. My fist was clenched around something and I slowly released it, tucking my arm back under the blanket covering me before my brain registered that someone's arm was, in fact, around me and a hand was against my back. My eyes flew open to meet bright, honey colored ones. I stared at Edward in confusion. His expression was perfectly serene and his hand stroked my back one more time.

"Did you have a nice nap?" I started, looking around and realizing that my head was on a pillow resting on his arm and that a blanket I didn't recognize was wrapped around me.

"I'm so sorry!" I started to sit up but was held in place by his arms, his expression growing bewildered. "I didn't mean to fall asleep on you!" I tried to apologize to him, having no idea how I'd managed to fall asleep.

"I don't mind." He assured me gently. "You were exhausted. Besides, I like watching you sleep…you say some very interesting things." I felt my face catch fire and he chuckled.

"Oh no…" I moaned, dropping my head against the pillow. "What did I say?" I asked, not sure I even wanted to know.

"My name, quite a few times." He seemed more pleased than amused, which helped a tiny bit with the embarrassment. It came back when his expression became impossibly soft. "You also said that you loved me."

"I…" I glanced down at the blanket, more than humiliated. Now he was going to know how attached I was to him after only a few days. I didn't know much about relationships, but being a needy codependent was usually frowned upon. The thing was though…I did love him. And he didn't seem upset…quite the opposite. "I do. Love you." I murmured.

He brought his hand up to cup my cheek, pulling my face up so I could meet his gaze. "You are my life now." He told me simply, the earnest expression in his eyes telling me that this wasn't teenage infatuation. This was something so much more…he was just as serious as I was.

A knock on the door startled me, and Edward move to sit up, keeping me at his side, still wrapped in a blanket. Alice appeared in the doorway, smiling at us, and I wondered how good their hearing actually was. Jasper appeared behind them, his gaze friendly as it settled on me for a moment, and I felt a surge of hope. 'Maybe he does like me…maybe Edward was telling the truth.' Something seemed to shift in his eyes, and I felt some sort of emotion I didn't recognize brush against me, but before I could try to figure it out, Alice spoke.

"So, did you ask her?" Alice asked, bouncing a little on her toes.

"She just woke up, Alice." Edward chuckled, then looked down at me before Alice could complain or I could ask what was going on. "We're going to play ball this afternoon. Would you like to come?" I frowned between the three of them, a little confused. But Edward looked excited, and I figured if I could sit through baseball for my mother and Phil, I could sit through whatever this game was for Edward.

"Sure…sounds like fun."

Alice grinned. "Excellent. We're going to go ahead and leave. See you there soon!" She waved, darting forward and hugging me before grabbing Jasper's hand and racing away.

"So what are we playing?" I looked at Edward, who had stood and was reaching into his closet, pushing a few shirts aside and pulling something off a shelf.

He grinned back at me, walking over and placing a cap on my head. "You're going to watch. _We _are going to play baseball."

'Oh fantastic.'

**I hope you all enjoyed. Thank you for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed this story! I'm glad you all like it and I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

Baseball. They were going to play baseball. I stifled a groan, adjusting the cap on my head as Edward stepped back, grinning faintly. 'Well, maybe vampire baseball is more interesting than normal baseball.' I doubted it, but I hoped so. Otherwise I might take another nap…outside this time. Checking the clock on Edward's stereo, I realized that I'd been asleep for a few hours and that it was nearly eleven. Once again I felt a wave of embarrassment…my first time coming to his house and I'd fallen asleep on him. It was becoming a habit for me, I thought, remembering when I'd done the same to his father. "So…vampires like baseball?" I asked, a little hesitant. If I stopped to think about it, I still barely knew Edward Cullen. He seemed to notice my discomfort because he reached out and took my hand, his thumb rubbing against the back of my knuckles.

"Of course. It's the great American pastime." I laughed softly as he tugged my hand, pulling me along behind him as we walked down the hall, pausing when we came to a partially open door.

"Come on in." I was surprised to hear Carlisle's voice, and Edward led me into a room that looked like the office of a dean, with large bookshelves against the walls filled with giant books, and a wall covered in beautiful old paintings. The doctor smiled up at us, placing a mark in the book his was reading, and his eyes focused in on me. I made a mental note to ask Edward about their vision. "Bella. You look much better." He gestured toward the chairs across from his desk, large plush pieces of furniture where I could probably curl up on and sleep. "Please, sit down. You still look tired, sweetheart." I felt my cheeks heat up, but did as he asked, siting in one of the chairs and sinking into the comfortable fabric. Edward sat in one beside me, his body leaning toward me.

"Are you playing baseball too?" I wondered, although I doubted it. It was obvious that he was busy. So it surprised me when he nodded with a chuckle.

"Oh yes. We all play whenever we can…the storm won't reach the field until later so you won't get wet. You can help Esme referee." I felt a flare of nerves, hoping they didn't expect me to know any of the rules of baseball. "Don't worry." He chuckled kindly. "It's a very informal game." He teased a little. "No one will mind if you don't know all the rules." He stood, placing his book on a shelf behind him. "So I didn't get a chance to speak to you before." He moved to the front of the desk, leaning against it. "How are you liking living with Billy and Jacob?" He wondered.

"Um…it's alright." I shrugged a little. "It was kind of Billy to let me live with him." Something about my response seemed to bother Carlisle, and I wondered if he'd noticed that I hadn't really answered his question, but he only nodded.

"Yes…what do you think of Forks?" Edward bit back a laugh and I gave him a look.

"It's okay…kind of cold." Carlisle chuckled softly.

"Yes. You moved here from Arizona, so I suppose the temperature will take getting used to." I nodded, relaxing a little more. Honestly it was hard to feel nervous around Carlisle. "Have you spoken to you mother again?" He wondered, his tone softening, and I shook my head. I didn't want to think about Renee, honestly. He seemed to nod to himself, and then smiled at us. "Well, you seem to be feeling better, but if you continue to have trouble sleeping, don't hesitate to come to me. I can give you something to help you sleep if you need it." He moved forward resting a hand on my shoulder briefly, then turned to Edward. "Esme and I are going to the field. The others are already there."

"We're about to leave as well." Edward stood, holding out a hand to me and pulling me gently to my feet, and we followed him out of the office, heading down the stairs and into the living room while Carlisle went into one of the other rooms. "Ready?" He asked. I nodded, following him out the door…and to a very large jeep.

"Um…nice jeep." I mumbled, making him laugh as he opened the door for me, reaching around my waist and lifting me in. I gripped the doorframe as he placed me in the seat, then he began to help me fasten the complicated looking harness.

"It's Emmett's."

"I can believe that." He grinned up at me for a second, his hand lingering at my neck as he fastened a strap there, carefully moving my hair out of the way so he wouldn't snag it.

"We're going to have to walk part of the way." He glanced over as he hopped easily into the driver's seat. "Well…run actually…" I frowned. "Well…I'll run." He smiled just a bit. "I was going to show you how I travel in the forest." The jeep roared to life and I looked at him skeptically.

"You don't turn into a bat, do you?" I asked, only half kidding, and he laughed loudly, dropping his hands from the steering wheel and shaking his head, the booming sound echoing throughout the cab of the jeep.

"Haven't heard that one before." He managed, once he'd finally stopped.

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms as my cheeks flushed. "Well how am I supposed to know?" He reached over and took my hand, squeezing gently, and seemed to take a deep breath, his jaw tightening for a fraction of a second.

"No, I do not turn into a bat." He chuckled again at the word, shaking his head. "That would certainly be an interesting trick, though. I'll work on it."

* * *

Edward pulled off on the side of the road, easily picking up the scent of his family. Carlisle and Esme were on their way and would probably arrive at the field before they did, since he would be carrying Bella. The girl tried to unfasten her harness and he grinned at her clumsy attempts, gently capturing her hands in one of his, then quickly freeing her. Racing around to the side of the jeep, he opened her door, holding out a hand that she took easily. 'Well, she trusts me.' He thought happily, squeezing her hand for a second, then helped her down, catching her as she jumped to the ground.

"So…we're walking?" She asked hesitantly. He smiled, shrugging a little.

"You could say that." She pursed her lips and stared at him, an expression he'd come to identify as borderline annoyance, and he laughed aloud once more, aware that he hadn't laughed this much in years. "I'm running, and I'm going to carry you."

"Carry me?" She asked in surprise as he turned, crouching. "Edward…I'm a lot heavier than a backpack…" He chuckled at the thought of her being too heavy to carry.

"Come on." He reached around, grabbing her hands and linking them around his neck, then stood. Automatically her legs linked around his waist and she gripped her hands around his throat, squeaking in surprise. "There. You barely weigh a thing." He told her easily, her grip on him barely noticeable. "Ready?"

"Um…" He didn't allow her to finish, taking off in the direction of the field and listening to her heartbeat accelerate, the smell of adrenaline suddenly pouring off of her.

'Hm...this must be very fast for her.' He thought in amusement as he ran rather slowly. It only took him a few minutes to reach the edge of the clearing, and a few yards away he could see the ring of trees that hid it from sight, but she didn't let go. "Bella?" He asked, suddenly worried. Reaching up, he touched her arm, his thumb chafing against her wrist. "Bella, are you alright?" Her heart was still beating…maybe a little quickly.

"Mhm." She mumbled, still clinging to him.

"Would you like to get down?"

"Mhm." He laughed softly, gently unwinding her arms, crouching down as he held them with one of his hands, then carefully uncrossed her legs, setting her on the ground where she immediately began to collapse. Spinning around, he caught her, truly alarmed now.

"Bella?" He asked urgently. "Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?" He couldn't imagine how…he'd been so careful. She shook her head, allowing him to help her sit down shakily.

"Fine…give me a second." She took a deep breath, resting her head on her knees. He smiled faintly, kneeling beside her, his hand resting on her back.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Not scared."

He chuckled. "You're as pale as…well me." He rubbed her back, being as careful as ever with his movements. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine." She started to stand and he hurried to hold her arm, supporting her partially until he stood. "Wow…" She looked at him with a type of awe and he laughed. "How did you…I'm not…"

"There are a few advantages to being…well, what I am. That is one of them." He took her hand, heading toward the clearing. "Do you have plans tomorrow?" He wondered.

"Sunday? No." She tripped over a root, clutching his hand more tightly, and he pulled her closer to his side, keeping her upright.

"Would you like to spend it with me then?" He smiled down at her when she looked up at him, pleasantly surprised when she nodded. "I'd like to show you something…well, I'll tell you later." They approached the clearing and went through the trees, her hand tight in his. Esme stood at the edge of the clearing, smiling welcomingly at the two of them and pulling Bella into her arms.

"Hello sweetheart." His heart warmed when he watched Bella wrap her arms around his mother, the older woman's embrace gentle and loving.

'A member of our family.' He thought with a smile.

"Go on, Edward. She's going to help me today." Esme wrapped an arm around Bella and he nodded, giving Bella one last loving look before racing off to greet the rest of his family.

* * *

Esme kept an arm around me, leading me to the center of the field where the others were already gathered. Jasper and Alice were going through the motions of throwing something back and forth, but I couldn't see a ball. Emmett was crouching down, doing something I couldn't see, and Carlisle was speaking with Rosalie, who answered in a voice I couldn't hear, but used violent hand gestures. He crossed his arms, shaking his head, then turned, catching sight of me, and relaxed. Rosalie looked in my direction by I couldn't quite read her face.

We reached the group after a minute and Emmett grinned at me, crossing his arms as he came to stand beside Rosalie. "Hey Bella. You playing?" There was a teasing light in his eyes and I shook my head a bit sheepishly.

"No…I'm terrible at sports." He chuckled.

"Bella is going to help me referee." Esme told them simply, her arm still around me.

"Oh…it's time." Alice bounded forward, kissing my cheek and hugging me quickly, then pranced away toward the middle of the field. As soon as she'd turned, thunder boomed overhead.

"Eerie isn't it?" Emmett leaned over toward me, winking at me with a smile.

They all took their places, splitting up into teams, Alice at what I supposed was the pitcher's mound and Jasper several feet behind Rosalie who was apparently first to bat. Carlisle stood far out by the trees and I guessed he was playing the outfield…not that I was all that sure what that entailed. Edward and Emmett waited in line to hit…several yards away. I immediately understood why they had to wait for thunder….it surprised me that the aluminum bat didn't break when she hit the ball, the invisible white sphere soaring out past the trees. "Um…home run?" I looked at Esme incredulous and she smiled a little.

"Wait." I realized that Carlisle had disappeared, his shape a blur, and Rosalie flitted around the bases. "Come." We moved a little closer, all eyes on the trees as suddenly Jasper lifted his hand, one foot on the base, and something smacked into it just before Rosalie crossed the plate. Both Jasper and Esme looked over at me and I swallowed, avoiding Rosalie's gaze.

"Out." I told Esme softly, then felt myself calm, looking up and catching Jasper's friendly smile and returning it hesitantly.

"Out!" Esme repeated, and Jasper tossed the ball back to Alice. Rosalie stormed over to the side, crossing her arms, and I watched Emmett's lips move, although I couldn't hear any words. She uncrossed her arms, but still didn't look at me.

The rest of the game passed similarly. I stood near the catcher, listening to the others, mostly Jasper and Emmett, call out insults at one another until Esme scolded them loudly, shaking her head. "You'd think they were raised in a barn." She grumbled and I laughed.

"You sound like my mom." She softened, pulling me to her side.

"I do think of them as my children." She told me simply, and I felt like there was something else…something unsaid in her statement…in the way she looked at me.

"You're out!" Jasper called, grinning after his brother as he caught the ball seconds before he crossed the plate, and Emmett whirled, his eyes narrowed. Emmett's team was down by one…well, I guessed it was one. Esme was the one keeping score. Edward, seeing my close proximity to his brothers, started to move closer, and Esme moved to my side, making me wonder how seriously Emmett and Jasper took this game.

"I am not! I was on base hours before you even saw the ball!"

"You were not! You always do this! You're such a sore loser!" Jasper seemed more amused that upset, but Emmett growled at his brother, a sound that started me and had Jasper leaning forward in anticipation. Then Emmett froze, rolling his eyes and speaking, but I couldn't make out his words. "Is he out?" Jasper turned to us, looking between myself and Esme, and I looked hesitantly at Emmett. He seemed really upset…until he grinned at me and Jasper calmed me, a feeling of safety winding around me.

"We're just playing, kid. Call it like you see it." Emmett told me with a shrug, his voice reassuring.

"Sorry…out." He chuckled, reaching over and pulling the cap down over my face, then headed back to the field…until Jasper spoke quietly. Moving too quickly for me to track his movements, Emmett tackled Jasper to the ground and they were rolling, growls and snarls filling the air, and I jumped back in surprise, reminded of two dogs play-fighting. Everyone seemed to state at me anxiously, waiting for my reaction (well, everyone except for Rosalie) but I only snorted, laughing softly as the brothers brawled. Esme sighed, shaking her head and appearing at their side, reaching down and hauling Jasper off of Emmett easily.

"Enough you two. Did you want to finish the game or not?"

"I almost had him!" Emmett complained loudly and Jasper rolled his eyes, winking at me and letting me feel his amusement. I felt a stirring of hope once more, that maybe his family did like me…well, all of them except Rosalie. But Jasper, at least, was being friendly, even if he did keep his distance. I resolved to speak with Alice…she seemed like someone I could approach. She froze on the pitcher's mound, then looked over at me, nodding a little, and I wondered if she'd seen the future where I asked her.

"Alright, change!" Carlisle called, and Edward jogged out to the outfield and Rosalie stepped up to the pitcher's mound, catching the ball that Alice tossed her, Emmett going to stand behind Carlisle who was up first at bat.

"What does the winner get?" I asked Esme quietly. She smiled at me a little strangely.

"Bragging rights." She answered with a laugh. I stared out at the scene, a little confused. "Why? Did your family play for something?"

"Um…no. It was just my mom and me… and Phil. We didn't play games." I answered absently, watching eagerly as Rosalie wound up, flinging the ball at Carlisle who swung the bat around so quickly that I didn't even see it.

"Really?" She asked softly, keeping an eye on the game. "She never played with you?"

"Hm?" I watched in awe as he raced around the bases and Edward chased down the ball. "No…she never really had time…" I laughed aloud, shocked when Edward appeared out of the woods, throwing the ball into Emmett's hand right before their father crossed the base. "Out!"

"Ha!" Emmett shouted, pumping his fist in the air, then raced to meet Edward, their hands hitting so hard in the air that the sound echoed over to me. Carlisle chuckled, shaking his head and watching his son race back to the home plate. "And the score is…!?" Emmett looked over to us, his hands outstretched.

"Tied. Seven-seven." Esme told him with a laugh. He shouted happily, jabbing a finger at Jasper who approached the plate, rolling his eyes.

"You hear that Jazz? Tied!" He roared at his brother. "Seven-seven! Woo!" He pumped his fist in the air and I joined in with Esme, laughing so hard I put my hands on my knees. "Come on, Rose! We need a strike!"

"It's a strike if they don't hit it." Esme informed me quietly, and we watched Jasper bring the bat around, the ball hitting the bat with a crack once more.

Edward's team did win as the first team to make it to ten, and Emmett raced over to me, pulling me into his arms and making me squeak in surprise as he swung me around. I laughed, gripping his shirt, then his arm as he sat me down. Edward approached, laughing when he saw that I was, and Jasper rolled his eyes.

"There's going to be a storm Thursday…all day! I want a rematch!" He shouted. Carlisle stood beside Esme and they watched with soft smiles as Edward put his arm around me and we all listened to Emmett and Jasper go at it, Alice's hand squeezing mine.

"You can come, right Bella?" She asked. I nodded, my eyes lighting up. I didn't think it was possible to be bored while watching my vampire family play baseball. Edward chuckled, holding me tightly against his side and smiling down at me as he led me toward the woods.

"The rain is going to reach us soon…I'd better get you back to the house." We strode toward the forest, away from the others and into the trees. "Did you have fun?" I nodded, my eyes alight.

"That was amazing, Edward! I don't know how I could sit through regular baseball after that!"

"Yea…it sounds like you did so much of that before." He teased, stopping in the middle of the forest, and my good mood vanished.

"Um…why don't we just walk?" He laughed.

"Bella, that would take an hour. You'd get soaked. I think you've spent enough time at the hospital." I shook my head, still not willing to go through that again. "Oh come on. It wasn't that bad." I looked at him incredulously. "What are you afraid of?"

"Trees…getting sick…dying." He snorted.

"You think I'd hit a tree?"

"No…you probably wouldn't…but I might."  
"You think I'd let a tree hurt you?" His gaze softened and I shook my head, looking away before he did that thing where he looked at me and my resolve melted. But it was no use…he leaned closer, his hand on my cheek. "I wouldn't. I wouldn't let anything hurt you. I promise." He told me seriously, his thumb stroking my cheek.

"I'll get sick." I reminded him. He smiled, hearing my resolve crumble, then turned, pulling me onto his back once more.

"Close your eyes." He suggested. I sighed, taking his advice, and tucked my face into his shoulder, my nose against his neck. He froze when I clung to him once more, my lips centimeters away from his neck, and I looked up briefly. We hadn't moved.

"Are you okay?" I asked, about to climb down. He shook his head.

"Fine." He said, his voice a little strained. His hands came up, holding both of mine for a minute, and then he began to run.

I didn't look up until he took my hands, gently unwinding them once again. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, and I realized he'd stopped.

This time I _was_ okay…closing my eyes had helped. I dropped down from his back, taking the offered arm to steady myself. "I'm fine." He smiled, the expression tender, and he wrapped his arms around me, one hand cupping my cheek. "Thank you…for inviting me." He stroked my cheek with his thumb, a strange longing in his eyes.

"I'm just glad you had a good time." He seemed about to say something else, but Emmett approached from the house, grinning at me.

"And she's coming next time! She's good luck!" Edward shook his head and smirked.

"Did you need something, Emmett?"

"Esme and Carlisle are making dinner, apparently. They've got the food network on." He chuckled with a shrug. "If you're hungry, Bella." I stared at him in surprise, feeling Edward slip his hand in mine.

"Are you hungry?" He asked softly.

"I…they didn't…" I shook my head, my eyes wide in shock. "No…I mean…" He frowned in concern and I tried to force myself to use coherent sentences. "They didn't have to! I know you guys don't…." Emmett stepped forward, tugging on a lock of my hair gently.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Bella. They don't mind…I think they were having fun, actually." He laughed a little, trying to put me at ease. "You've given them an excuse to use the kitchen. You humans have to eat all the time, and it's nearly two." He cocked his head toward the house, then began walking with us, my hand still in Edward's.

Carlisle and Esme glanced up from the kitchen where they were chopping ingredients and stirring a pot on the stove. "Hello Bella. Do you like Italian?"

"Course she does. Her name's Bella." Emmett chuckled at his own joke, ruffling my hair.

"You didn't have to make me lunch." I said quietly. I couldn't remember the last time someone had cooked for me…apart from Billy who made breakfast for both Jacob and myself. I always cooked…mostly for other people. My mother had never quite figured it out, nor had Charlie. My eyes pricked uncomfortably and I bit my lip a bit, ignoring their concerned gazes. "Um…can I use your bathroom?" I asked Edward softly. He nodded, still concerned, but gestured toward the room where I fled, shutting the door and putting a hand over my mouth.

'Oh come on.' I scolded myself, holding the tears in. 'This is ridiculous. I'm having a good time. It's so nice of them to cook for me. I'm acting like a moron.' But the ache in my throat and my chest wouldn't go away and I sat down on the toilet lid, my head in my hands. 'I'm such an idiot. What is the matter with me!?' Biting down on my lip, my throat seemed to close up and I sobbed softly, sure, after seeing them all in action, that they could hear me. 'Stop crying. Stop crying right now. I can't do this here.'

There was a soft knock on the door and I bit down hard on my lip, knowing that I couldn't speak at the moment. "Bella? Sweetheart, I'm going to come in, alright?" Esme's voice was gentle and it only made me cry harder. The door opened for a fraction of a second and then she was sitting beside me, holding me in her arms. "Oh sweetie, it's okay. You don't have to hide in here." I shook my head, my tears soaking into her shirt as I cried. "Can you tell me what's wrong sweetheart?" I shook my head. "Please, Bella? It might help if you can talk about it."

* * *

Carlisle finished cooking, placing a spoonful of pasta and sauce on a plate, then placed it in the microwave, not wanting it to get cold. Edward sat at the counter, his hands clasped tightly together, and Emmett leaned against the wall. "Any ideas?" His large son asked softly.

"She learned to cook when she was little…five or six, she said. I'm guessing no one ever cooks for her." Carlisle nodded at Edward's strained statement.

"But why would that make her cry?" Emmett wondered sadly. Carlisle had to say that he was a little surprised at how much Emmett obviously cared about the girl…..pleasantly surprised. He was worried.

"She's had a very tough two weeks, Emmett." Carlisle reminded him softly. "She lost her father very suddenly, and for whatever reason decided that she would rather live with a stranger here than with her mother…who is obviously unable to give her any kind of emotional support. It seems that Bella was like the parent in her family…and now she's hurting and she doesn't know how to ask for help." Emmett clenched his jaw.

"Well she's got us…" He told his father. "Why won't she let us help?" Carlisle had to smile a little.

"She does have us. And of course we will try to help her…she's a part of our family now. But she doesn't know how to be helped…how to accept it. She's probably embarrassed that she even needs any kind of help…"

"Yea. She is." He glanced up at Jasper who moved to stand near Emmett. "She's humiliated….or she was." He sighed. "She's grateful that you and Esme cooked for her…but she also didn't understand." Edward nodded at something Jasper didn't say. "She was having a good time though…with all of us. I just…I think she feels guilty. That she was enjoying herself." Carlisle crossed his arms, leaning on the counter across from Edward.

"I'm sorry." He looked up when he heard the girl apologize to his wife over and over again, her broken sobs echoing through the house thanks to their super hearing. Before he could speak, Emmett stood.

"I'm going to go…Rose and I will be back later." Carlisle nodded.

"She might need Alice…I'll be in our room." Carlisle was grateful that they were doing this….giving the girl as much privacy as they could.

"I'll be in my study, Edward." He touched his son's shoulder, squeezing firmly. 'If you need me, just call.' He told him silently. 'She'll be okay…we're going to help her. I promise, Edward.' Edward smiled a little, nodding his thanks. He knew that his father was good for his word.

* * *

Esme took a cool cloth and touched my cheeks with it, gently wiping my face. "You do not have to apologize, Bella. I understand." She soothed me, cupping my cheek in her palm. "No one is upset with you, sweetheart." I bit my lip, shaking my head. "Don't, Bella. You'll hurt yourself. What is it?"

"Rosalie probably is." I mumbled, my face heating up as I stared at the floor.

"Oh sweetheart, Rosalie will come around. You'll understand when you get to know her…she's always been a little distant." Esme sat beside me once more, holding me against her side. "She's protective of her family. We all are." She stroked my hair.

"Jasper." I whispered his name and she turned to me in surprise.

"What? Oh, honey, why would you think Jasper would be upset with you?"

"Is it making it hard on him…having me around. Edward said…he said it was hard for him…" Esme shook her head, her hands moving to frame my face.

"Oh Bella, you do not have to worry about that. Jasper likes you. He wants to get to know you…Edward is just being protective of you….is that what's upset you, sweetheart?" I leaned my head against her shoulder, closing my eyes, not willing to talk about what had actually upset me…I didn't even know if I understood it myself. "I know that you miss your father, Bella. I know how hard it is to lose someone like that, and I know you're in a lot of pain, sweetheart. But do you think your father would want you to do this to yourself?" She asked gently.

"How would I know what my father wanted? I never even spent any time with him…" I chocked out, trying to hide my face again, but she held me at her side, rocking me back and forth.

"Oh Bella." She whispered, kissing the top of my head. "Shh, sweetie it's okay." I shook my head, clutching her shirt. "It's okay." She promised again. "It's all going to be okay. I've got you sweetie." She pulled me into her lap, holding me until I wasn't crying anymore, the cool cloth coming back to my face. "Bella, your father loved you." She told me quietly. "He was so excited to have you here…everyone in town was sick of hearing about it." I sniffed at her gentle words that were both hurting and soothing, my lips coming up involuntarily for a moment at the image. "Don't ever think he would want you to do this to yourself…to feel guilty for being happy, or for trying to move on. He wouldn't want his daughter to stop living because he did." I took a shaky breath, nodding, then feeling my cheeks flush once more. "No, sweetheart. Don't be embarrassed. You have nothing in the world to be embarrassed about. We understand."

I swallowed hard, standing up from her lap, and was once more in her arms, her lips against the top of my head. "I'm sorry." I mumbled, and she touched my cheek.

"No more apologizing." She chastised me gently. "Not for this." She wiped my face with the newly wet cloth then dabbed it dry, running her fingers through my hair gently. Tilting my chin up, she smiled kindly at me. "Better?" I nodded, sniffing softly. She handed me a tissue, then, once I'd blown my nose and thrown it out, she took my hand, linking my arm with hers. "No, how about we try again? You've given us an excuse to use the kitchen for the first time." I laughed softly at her words, squeezing her arm and following her into the room.

There was a plate filled with pasta and sauce, garlic bread, and a salad that all looked as though it had been assembled by a master chef and my jaw dropped. "You…you've never used the kitchen?" I verified. She laughed softly, smiling at me.

"Well, we may have cheated…we used the food network." I felt another prick in my chest as I was reminded how much effort they'd put into making me dinner.

"Thank you." I said with as much meaning as I could pack into the words.

"You're very welcome, sweetheart. Well, go ahead and try it. It may be horrible."

"I doubt it." I said with a half laugh, sitting at the table with her at my elbow, and took a bite. It didn't matter if it was the most disgusting food I'd ever eaten…I'd take it, gladly. But of course, it tasted like food from a five star restaurant and I just shook my head. "This is ridiculous. You guys can't be good at _everything_."

She laughed, squeezing my shoulder. "Oh, honey, believe me. We are not. But I'm glad you like it." With that, she turned to go, and I realized that Edward had disappeared along with the others. I felt a pang of remorse.

"Um…where is everyone?" I asked softly, ready to hear that they'd all been put out with me or even offended, but she only smiled a little.

"Oh, Carlisle is upstairs in his study. Jasper and Alice are upstairs as well. And Edward is…"

"Right here." A tall glass of water appeared on the table and suddenly Edward was seated beside me, his hand slipping into mine. Esme smiled at us, satisfaction in her eyes.

"Yes…and Emmett and Rosalie went out." I flinched at that last one, but was distracted when Esme left us alone and Edward's hand moved to my back.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly. I bit my lip, putting my fork my on the plate. I couldn't believe I'd acted like that…my first time coming to my boyfriend's house (okay, so boyfriend was the wrong word but what was I supposed to call him? Soul mate?) and I have a complete breakdown, hiding in his bathroom. He probably thought I was insane. I'd probably already ruined…and suddenly I was completely fine…calm and comfortable in this beautiful home with a wonderful meal and Edward, who was too great for adjectives.

"I'm fine." I answered happily, taking a bite. "How are you?" He lifted an eyebrow, looking around for a moment.

"I'm doing well. Thank you." His hand dropped from my back, but he still sat close, his hand in mine, which was fine with me. I could eat with one hand. I loved to eat with one hand. I stopped at that thought, whirling around.

"Jasper!" I cried, forcing back a laugh at his smug expression from the doorway. "Not fair with the weird mood control thing." He chuckled, moving to stand in the kitchen doorway beside me instead, and my mood went back to normal, although all traces of sadness and embarrassment were gone.

"Da*n. I was hoping you wouldn't notice." I lifted an eyebrow. "You figured it out so quickly the first time…I thought if I did it gradually…" He shrugged, then looked down at my plate, lifting an eyebrow. "Does that really taste good? It looks…very unappetizing." I rolled my eyes, swallowing a bite of paste.

"Well, it's no irritable grizzly." I mumbled, taking a drink of water. His eyes narrowed in confusion, then widened, a startled laugh escaping. Edward shook his head, snorting. Jasper dropped into the chair next to me, still laughing, and I smiled a little, going back to my pasta. I couldn't help but notice Edward tensing a little beside me, leaning closer as Jasper sat down, and I looked over at him in confusion. I knew exactly what he was doing, but I disagreed…Jasper seemed fine…I was finally getting to interact with the friendly blonde. I didn't want Edward to shoo him off. Turning back to Jasper, I swallowed a bite and wiped my mouth. "Where are you from, Jasper?" I finally asked the question that had been bugging me, and he grinned.

"Texas, originally. I spent some time in Mexico as well..." He glanced over at Edward and leaned back away from me. "I was the youngest Major in the Confederate army." He told me with a wink, and my fork clattered to my plate as I stared at him, astonished.

"Wait…confederate army?" He nodded. Reaching out a hand as if to shake, I returned the gesture hesitantly, both of us ignoring Edward's tense posture beside me, his hand on my arm as though ready to pull me away at a second's notice.

"Major Jasper Whitlock at your service, ma'am." His accent turned thick and I realized he must work to keep it out of his voice. He squeezed my hand a little, shaking it and laughing at my astonishment. I snapped my mouth shut.

"You…you were in the Civil War?"

"Briefly during my human years, yea." He dropped my hand, grinning ruefully at something, then was focused on me once more. "I lied about my age and signed up…by nineteen I was a Major, all without seeing any real combat." His story cut off there, and I sensed the next part was hard to talk about, so I changed the subject.

"So…are you the oldest then?" I wondered, not able to imagine any of them alive before the Civil War. For a second I was afraid that I'd offended him and started to retract the question, but he only glanced at Edward, his lips moving for a brief second then shook his head.

"Well, in a way. Emmett and I were both nineteen when we were changed, and Rosalie was eighteen. Alice…well we're not sure, but I'd guess seventeen, like Edward. But if you look at when we were born, apart from Carlisle, yea, we think I'm the oldest."

"Wait…how old is Carlisle?" Jasper lifted an eyebrow.

"You haven't told her Carlisle's story?" He asked Edward in surprise.

"No…I haven't really told her any of them." Jasper nodded.

"Well, why don't you ask him to tell it? It's a good one." He assured me, standing and reaching down, ruffling my hair. "Alice wants to hunt. See you, Bella." I waved as he ran up the stairs, and I could only guess that they took the window.

Edward watched him as he left and I turned to him. "Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yes…of course. Why do you ask?" I hesitated, not wanted to voice my real question. Thanks to Jasper's mood control, I hadn't talked to Edward about my breakdown, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to. As if sensing my unease, Edward's arm went around me once more. "What?" He asked, his palm on my shoulder, thumb stroking the skin there. "What's the matter, Bella?"

"I just…I didn't know if you were…I mean, about earlier…"

"Bella, do you think I'd be upset with you about that?" He asked in surprise. I shrugged and he turned, putting his other arm around me, holding me close, then pulling away, his face close to mine. "Bella, don't think for one second that I would ever be upset with you because you miss your father, or because you are having a hard time coping with his loss. I could never blame you for that. I understand that it's hard, Bella, and I'm here for you whenever you need me. As is Esme, as you can tell." I smiled faintly at his words, nodding a little. "I don't think you understand how much you mean to me." He whispered, stroking my cheek with his thumb. "Love, for us, is something…more than it is for humans." He tried to explain. "When we fall in love, we are fundamentally changed. Permanently. Our worlds shift…you haven't seen much of it yet, but you can look at Carlisle and Esme...for them, it's still like first love. And for Jasper…Alice is his entire world. He couldn't live without her." I blushed at the implication, that he felt the same about me. "When I said that you are my life now, I meant it." He promised, his smile full of love for me.

I had no response for that…instead I leaned forward, resting my head against his shoulder, and his arms went around me, rubbing up and down my back. How could I have gotten so lucky, I wondered, to have this person fall in love with me? Because I couldn't doubt it. Not facing that much sincerity. And I could tell that Esme loved me too, and that Carlisle did as well. Speaking of Carlisle…I looked up at him once more. "How old is Carlisle?" I asked softly. He grinned.

"C'mon. The story's better when he tells it."

* * *

"She's worried that she's hurting you." Jasper flinched. He'd already known that…it was what had prompted him to go down and see her in the first place, but it still hurt to hear it. He'd heard her question to Esme…asking if she was making it harder for him. So despite Edward's warning, he'd gone done, doing his best to put her at ease, using his gift to tease her, sitting with her… She was going to be a member of his family, and he wanted to get to know this girl…but he could already tell that she was going to be his favorite sister. She took his teasing and laughed, her fondness for him already surprising him. She was starting to see him as one would see family, and he wanted to do everything he could to encourage that. He'd even touched her, going against Edward's direct orders that he was to stay away. But he couldn't. He couldn't avoid her and keep his distance. Not if it would hurt her feelings.

"He shouldn't have told her that."

"He can't exactly lie to her." Alice spoke mildly from her place in his lap. The two of them sat in the forest, him in a tree and her on him.

"He could have worded it better." Alice shrugged. "It's easier if I can be close to her." He confessed softly. "The more I'm around her scent, the more I can ignore it."

"He's very protective of her…it's nothing against you, Jasper." He nodded. He knew that. He and Edward had been close almost from the beginning….from their first meeting when Edward had come home to find himself and Alice moved into his room and had only chuckled, listening to his story and easily accepting both Alice and himself into his family. Jasper had felt the shift when he'd met Alice, how his world had moved to revolve around this girl, and he knew that Edward was experiencing the same thing. But it was still hard, knowing that his brother couldn't trust him around his new mate. "She likes you." Alice reminded him quietly. "You're doing the right thing…spending time with her like you did, and being in the room with her. Edward is able to get used to her scent…his self control is getting stronger, and so will yours."

He pulled Alice closer, kissing her for a long minute, then pulled back, her head tucked under his chin. He knew he had her support, and that was all that mattered. But he could feel it from Carlisle as well, and from Esme. They were proud of him, and he had to admit, feeling that emotion rather than sadness or resignation from them…that was a wonderful feeling. Now the only family member that needed to come around was Rosalie…and he wasn't sure that would ever happen. "Can you see Rosalie?" He wondered.

"She and Emmett are about to return home…right after Edward takes Bella home." He waited. She knew what he was asking. "I don't know, Jazz. She's so stubborn, and she's…well, she's jealous. It's obvious." He nodded. It was. He could feel it pouring off the blonde who was upset that Edward had chosen someone over her, and it irritated him. "Rosalie will always be Rosalie. But maybe she'll come around…eventually. Bella _will_ join our family…surely Rose can't hate her forever." He lifted an eyebrow. If there was anything he'd learned about Rosalie, it was how adept she was at holding a grudge.

* * *

It was nearly time for dinner when Edward dropped me off at the border, handing me off to Jacob with a bag of Tupperware containers full of food for Billy and Jacob. It hadn't escaped my notice that Edward had yet to kiss me, and I had to wonder if that was because he was afraid to get that close…or maybe because he didn't want to, despite his sincere assurances that he loved me. So when we pulled up to the border where a bored looking Jacob waited, it took all of my self-control not to ask. I'd see him the next afternoon, although I planned on driving my own truck to the border and meeting him rather than having Jacob drive me once more. I'd inconvenienced Jacob enough lately. Edward walked over at an acceptably human pace, opening my door, then wrapped his arms around me, his nose in my hair. "Sleep well, Bella." He told me softly, his hands on my back as I dropped the bag in the seat, returning his embrace.

"I love you." I said softly, my head tucked under his chin.

"As I love you." His lips pressed against my head briefly, then he released me. "Jacob is going to get irritated. I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed my forehead once more, then watched as I walked over to Jacob's car, shivering a little in the cold evening air. Jacob pushed the door open for me, waving to Edward, and then, as soon as I was in, spun the truck around and sped off toward the border.

**Thank you all for reading. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you to AnneCullen and Grim who reviewed last chapter as well as this one. My email was broken so I wasn't able to read my reviews when I posted the last chapter. Sorry about that. I really appreciate you guys. AnneCullen, as to your kind-of question, I didn't really want to rewrite Carlisle's whole story...it seemed kind of pointless when we know it, but a little of it is in here. **

Jacob looked over at me, sitting next to him in the truck, and at the bag in my hands. "If you're going to keep bringing back food, I'm taking you to see him every day." He reached over and I smacked his hand.

"You can wait." I scolded with a laugh. "There won't be any left for Billy if I let you get a hold of it." He rolled his eyes, leaning back irritably. "It's good too." I taunted playfully. "You know, I'm stuffed, but I might have some more..." He elbowed me, his mock pout slipping, and he chuckled a little.

"You have fun?" He asked, turning down the road to Billy's house.

"Yea. They all played baseball."

"Really?" He grinned over at me. "You like baseball?"

I hesitated. "Not really…but it was fun to watch them play…the whole family played."

"Really? Can't imagine Doctor Cullen swinging a bat." He laughed and I smiled involuntarily, remembering Carlisle's near home run.

"They're all really good…I helped Esme referee." He laughed loudly.

"Do you even know the rules of baseball!?"

"Sort of!" I defended myself, then let a smile slip. "Well, Esme kept score, but I helped." He grinned.

"Who won?"

"Edward's team…him, Rosalie, and Emmett."

"Figures. The ref was team Edward, am I right?" I didn't dignify that with a response. But I didn't want to keep my news to myself.

"They asked me to play again later this week after school…" He nodded, parking in the driveway and shutting off the truck. I climbed out and he waited by the cab, the glow of the porch lamp throwing faint rays of light at his face and casting a long shadow. Although it was only about five, it was already dark.

"Well, I'm glad _you_ had fun. _I_ spent most of today fixing your window." I smiled a little, softening as I looked at him.

"Thank you, Jacob." And I didn't just mean for the window. He grinned, throwing an arm around me.

"Yea yea. You're still technically a guest, so you got lucky. Next time, you fix your own window." I grinned at him, resting my head on his shoulder for a minute, then heard a rustling.

"Hey!" He laughed, pulling his slice of stolen garlic bread and raced toward the house, me chasing after him, laughing and nearly caching him when he shut the door in my face, laughing loudly and ignoring Billy's loud scolding. I shoved the door open, then shut it quietly behind me.

"Hello Bella."

"Hi Billy." I said quietly, realizing that the conflict between us had never really been resolved…and that I'd spent the entire day with the Cullens, something he expressly requested I not do…

"Hungry?" I tried, placing the bag on the counter. "I brought pasta…I just have to heat it up." He didn't reply, only gazed at me seriously, and I begun to spoon the pasta onto the plates and placed them in the microwave. "So…what was wrong with the window?"

"We drove out and got a new one...I'd been meaning to replace it anyway…just forgot about it I guess. So you should be fine tonight. I'll turn the heat up just in case." He wheeled over to the table, his arms crossed, then softened a little. "You look better." I smiled a bit, placing a plate before him, and another in front of Jacob who dropped into a chair beside his father, and they began to dig in enthusiastically. Leaving them to their food, I excused myself and went off to do homework in my room, glad Billy seemed to be taking a 'don't ask, don't tell' approach. If he wanted to pretend that I wasn't spending time with the Cullens, then I would play along.

I paused in the doorway, my eyes widening a little. The room had obviously been tidied, but there were still a few woodchips on the floor, but that wasn't the part that caught my attention. A small space heater sat in the corner by my bed and was switched on, and the room was wonderfully warm. I grinned, glancing back at the kitchen where I could hear Billy and Jacob speaking quietly about some baseball game.

I lay on my stomach, trying to focus on my biology homework rather than the amazing history lesson on Carlisle I'd had today. Edward had led me into Carlisle's study, sitting me down once again in the comfortable chairs across from him, and Carlisle had sat his work aside, laughing a little at our request. "You know the story nearly as well as I do." He had told Edward with a grin, but I could tell he was happy to have us approach him.

"Yea, but you tell it better." Edward's chair had been scooted closer to mine and Carlisle had graciously given in, taking me back to 17th century England and, glossing over what I'm sure were painful details that I didn't press for, skipped to swimming to France where I had stopped him.

"Wait…you…_swam_ to France?" He'd chuckled.

"People swim the English Channel all the time." He'd reminded me. "And it probably helps that we don't need to breath…" Then my jaw had dropped.

"You don't….need to breath?!" I'd asked faintly.

"No…but it does get uncomfortable…"

"Uncomfortable" I'd repeated, ignoring Edward's chuckle. Going back into his tale, he'd told me about France, then Italy, the three vampires that lived there…the Enlightenment, the Renaissance…life during a period of history I'd only read about in textbooks. Then his immigration to the new world. "Wait…you didn't swim here…" He and Edward had both laughed aloud and he'd shaken his head.

"No, although I suppose I could have. I took a ship." The trip from Italy to America aboard a ship was a whole different story and, as we ran short on time, he'd promised to tell me all about it some other time, obviously happy to have such a captive audience.

Edward's story, as well, would have to wait. He didn't want to keep me out all night, and had called Jacob, asking him to meet us at the border. I realized that I still needed to tell Jacob that I'd be gone tomorrow. 'Homework.' I reminded myself. If I kept putting it off, I'd never get it finished by Monday.

* * *

"She said her mother never played with her." Carlisle glanced over at his wife who sat across from him in his study, the book in her lap obviously forgotten as she stared at the carpet. "She said…that she was too busy. She didn't understand why we were playing…" Esme shook her head, looking up at him. "What kind of relationship does she have with her mother, Carlisle? The woman leaves her with strangers after her father dies right in front of her…Bella was unconscious for days and…the woman sends emails? She never even made sure that Bella had a way to contact her…" He sighed, placing his book down and walking over to her side. "Her little girl…watched her father die." She put her hand over her mouth and he knelt down, pulling her into his arms. "And she…she just leaves her here…she didn't care…"

"Sh." He soothed her as she cried. "My love." He whispered, tucking her head under his chin. "I know. I know, love."

"She's seventeen."

"I know." He himself had his doubts about her mother…wondered how the girl had lived before coming here. "Esme…whatever has happened in her past…she's here now." She glanced up at him and he framed her face with his hands, kissing her forehead, then resting his own against hers. "I believe that Bella had a hard childhood…that she grew up in a family that was not good for her. But…I believe that she is a member of our family now…she's ours now." She smiled then, her hand coming up to rest on his. "We have a new daughter."

"We have a new daughter." She said it as though she could scarcely believe how wonderful it was. "Bella is our daughter." There it was…the excitement and love he so wanted to see in her eyes.

And it was true. He'd seen how Bella had watched them in the hospital, the longing in her eyes. He'd seen in the baseball field how much fun she was having…and in this study, how she'd listened to his story, utterly captivated…and how Edward had looked at her, also utterly captivated. She would miss her father. He knew that. And she had Billy and Jacob as well. But looking at her relationship with Edward and Alice's visions…how much his other sons already loved her…she was certainly a member of their family now. And already, only two hours after Edward had taken her back to La Push, they all missed her. "Our daughter." He promised, kissing her in earnest this time.

* * *

Emmett crossed his arms, leaning in the doorway of his bedroom. They did have a bed, as did everyone except Edward, which was mostly just to keep up the illusion…then again, there were benefits. He pushed the thought away. That's not why he was there…standing in his doorway, watching his wife as she sulked, pretending to read something on her tablet computer. She glanced up at him irritably, then back at her computer. He sighed, waiting.

"Are you just going to stand there all night?" She snapped, sparing him a glare.

"I've thought about it." It was rare that he was truly upset with Rosalie. Like Jasper and Carlisle, he loved his wife above everything else, and would do anything for her. But this…this was too much. She was being cruel, and he couldn't understand why.

She clenched her jaw, obviously upset with him. "Be my guest." She snapped.

"What the h*ll is your problem, Rose?" He demanded, stepping into the room and slamming the door behind him, keeping outside interference to a minimum. She rolled her eyes and started to touch the screen once more, but he shot forward, snatching the computer from her and placing it on the bed, sitting in front of her. "Rose? What's going on?" He asked, his voice softer this time.

She continued to glare at him and he lifted an eyebrow. He had all night…and all of the next day if she was so inclined. He wanted whatever was going on with her out in the open. "What do you want, Emmett?" She all but snarled at him, crossing her own arms.

"I want to know what's got you acting like such a…" He stopped himself. He'd never used that word when speaking about or to his wife, and he wouldn't start now. No matter how angry he got with her…he had more respect for her than that. "I don't get it, Rose."

She seemed to lower her hackles a little, sighing. "I…that girl…so she's just part of the family now? No one's worried that she'll tell someone our secret? No one's worried that she'll betray us?"

"She wouldn't."

"You've known the girl for, what, two weeks? If that. And suddenly…"

"Edward loves her." He told her quietly, his voice reproachful. "You see how happy she makes Carlisle and Esme. And she's going to join our family."

"Oh right, because the girl _wants_ to become a vampire?"

"That's what Alice sees." Rosalie clenched her jaw, looking away. "So what? It's her choice. If that's what she wants…"

"She'll have no idea what she's giving up!" She snapped, standing and looking down at him. "No idea what we're taking from her…what she's trading for what? To become a monster!?"

"We're not monsters, Rose." He said quietly, the pain evident in his voice. He knew now what had her so upset. That this girl would give up what Rosalie wanted so desperately…what he was sure she would trade him for, were she given the chance. He winced at the thought. He wouldn't do it…not for a second would he consider getting his life back if he couldn't have Rosalie. Honestly, he wasn't sure he'd want it anyway…he thought of Edward and Jasper, and little Alice, and now Bella. He wouldn't want to give up that family. But Rosalie…his Rosalie…all she wanted was to be human, to have children. And he couldn't do that for her, no matter how much he wished he could.

"We're vampires."

"We're vegetarians." He tried to tease, his smile sad, but she only turned, opening the window and leaping out, her movements nearly a blur to him as she streaked off into the darkness. Glancing over at her tablet, he placed it on the nightstand, then sat back on the bed, closing his eyes and pretending to sleep. His family would know that something was wrong…they would have heard the fight. But that didn't mean he wanted to face him right now.

"She'll come around, Emmett." He smiled faintly at Alice's soft voice outside his door as she passed his room. "Don't worry about her. She's just sulking."

"Thanks Ali."

* * *

"Bella?"

I was pretty sure I wasn't awake…rolling over, I pulled the covers more snugly around me, pretending that I was on the beach and I could hear the waves. Or that I was in a sauna. Oh it felt so wonderful to be warm again. "Bella?" Nope. I was asleep. Pretty sure now. Nothing was going to interrupt my…"Bella! Are you awake?"

"No. Leave." I grumbled. I wasn't a morning person…or rather, I wasn't someone who enjoyed being woken up in the middle of the night.

"Bella, wake up! Come on!"

"Go. Away." I snapped.

"Shh, you're going to wake Billy!" He laughed softly, shaking my shoulder. "Wake up Bella! We're going out!"

"Out? What?"

"Come on! The guys are all at the beach! And Leah too..."

"Hm?"

"They want to meet you, but since you spent all day with Edward…and you're going out with him again today, right?"

"Time is it?" I moaned, losing the battle with remaining asleep.

"Almost six."

"A.m.?!" I cried.

"Yea! We do this all the time…there's a bonfire and everything. Come on! It's time to get up anyway!"

"Jacob, it's Sunday! I'm not meeting Edward until noon…"

"Oh come on Bella! You haven't met anyone around here! And Leah wants to meet you…there aren't that many girls around for her to hang out with…not our age."

"Jacob, I am _begging_ you to go away."

"Nope. Up you get! You're not a guest anymore." He tugged my covers off and I kicked at him, sadly missing, and he laughed. "Come on! Be ready to leave in five minutes!" I groaned, rolling over and pressing my face into my pillow.

"I hate you." I grumbled, pushing myself off the bed and slamming my door, grumpily grabbing the first thing I found in my closet and jerking them on.

Billy grinned when I stepped out into the kitchen, throwing myself down on the chair. "Good morning Bella."

I had a feeling that he thought this was an appropriate 'punishment' for spending all day with his 'nemeses' yesterday, and I rolled my eyes. 'Let him smirk at me. I might just take Jacob up on that offer to sabotage his wheelchair.'

"So Jacob invited you to the bonfire?"

"Invited." I snorted. "Yea, something like that."

"They're good kids…most of them are around your age." He was serious now and I nodded, although I'd never been good with making friends. I was honestly surprised that the Cullens had taken to me so quickly. "They do this every Sunday morning…old tradition. I used to do it back when I was a boy. They don't usually invite outsiders." He looked at me for a long moment as I poured myself a bowl of cereal, then shook his head when I offered him some. "He doesn't think of you as an outsider…neither do I, Bella. Your father…he was my best friend…like my brother in a lot of ways. So I'm glad that we can help you."

I stared at Billy, startled. It seemed easy for him to say this, not like my own father who'd stumbled over his words, usually just giving up in the end and grunting at me. "You'll always have a place here, Bella. And as for your…ehm…personal life. Well, that's your business I guess. Just…be careful."

"You mean, stop seeing Edward." He shrugged, going back to his newspaper, but I knew I was right. He still wasn't at peace with that, and I was sure this wouldn't be the end of it…but I still appreciated his kindness. Standing as Jacob tapped his foot and swallowing a last bite of cereal; I kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks Billy." I said softly, and then hurried after Jacob who was dragging me along.

* * *

Edward watched his sister race into the woods, crossing his arms and scowling after her. It was bad enough she didn't like Bella. That he could live with. But now she was making Emmett miserable, shouting at him just because he was accepting Bella into their family…because they all loved her. But Rosalie couldn't see past her own issues. And Bella knew…Rosalie wasn't even trying to hide her disdain for his new mate. And it was hurting her. He closed his eyes, trying to think of something else. Esme and Carlisle were a good example…they were more than happy. They were overjoyed. Esme had a new daughter…and that's exactly how they saw it. They were just as happy as if Bella had been their biological daughter.

But Esme's worry about Bella's childhood…they were his worries too. What kind of life had his love led before moving to Forks? It was horrific enough that she had to watch her father die, then spend so much time alone in the hospital. But now he was wondering what her mother was like…If something were to happen to one of them…if they were susceptible to it…then Esme and Carlisle would have found a way to get to them. If one of their children had been injured, his parents would have sat with them, comforting them, holding them…something. They wouldn't have been able to stand being away. But this woman apparently had better things to do than to be with her daughter.

He knew he wasn't being fair…he'd never met the woman, never had a chance to hear her mind. But he couldn't think well of anyone that would leave their daughter alone after what Bella had been through…what she was still going through. Her reaction to Carlisle and Esme's kindness earlier had been a prime example…she was better. She was engaging with them and enjoying herself. But she was still suffering. Badly. And she was doing so in the house of two strange men she barely knew. Of course he didn't think badly of either of them…in fact, Jacob Black seemed to be good for Bella. But she needed family…her mother. So he was thankful for his own mother's feelings toward the girl. Bella might not have her own biological mother, but she had Esme now, along with Carlisle.

Jasper was staring at him. Glancing over, he offered his brother a half grin. He was impressed by his brother…his brother who had apparently already accepted Bella as a new sister. "Sorry." Jasper lifted an eyebrow, half confused and half annoyed, making Edward smile in earnest. He knew how it annoyed his family when he acted like the rest of them could read minds. "About before..." Jasper's expression didn't change…maybe he looked a little more annoyed, and Edward sighed. "I'm sorry that I told you to stay away from her…I should have trusted you." He sighed, leaning back against the couch and closing his eyes, blocking out Carlisle and Esme who had moved to their bedroom. "I didn't think that you…well, regardless, I am sorry."

Jasper's thoughts were a jumble, slipping from Bella's laughing face to Rosalie's glare to Edward's protective stance beside Bella…and then back to the girl, how happy she'd been when he approached them…the familial affection he felt from her…and towards her. "You love her too." Edward said with a faint smile, sorting it all out quickly.

Jasper sighed as if put out, but his thoughts were still content. "Yea, well. She's sort of impossible not to love. I'm glad you're keeping her around." Edward chuckled. "I don't blame you." He said softly, his tone changing, his thoughts shifting. "For not trusting me…sometimes _I_ don't trust myself." Edward shook his head.

"No…I was wrong. Honestly, I think it's mind over matter. It's impossible for me to be near her…but I can't stand the thought of…of not being with her." Jasper nodded, his mind going to Alice. "I think you love Bella…so you'll put up with the pain…and maybe it'll get better. It has for me."

"But it's hard…starting anew every day after being away from her?"

"Yes…but I can't always be with her, so it's something I'll have to live with." Jasper nodded thoughtfully, looking out at the forest beyond their house.

"Edward…if I were ever to hurt her…" He broke off, the tone of his thoughts pained.

"I trust you, Jasper. So does Bella…if anything she's worried about hurting you." Jasper shook his head, his thoughts making Edward fully aware of his disapproval. "I had to tell her…"

"You could have picked a better way to phrase it…I don't want her worrying about hurting me." He shook his head.

"It'll be fine, Jasper. You won't hurt her. We'll all be around, anyway….everything will be fine…as soon as Rose stops throwing a fit." Jasper smiled grimly.

"That's one word for it."

* * *

The fire was built high, and there were already three guys, all around Jacob's age, and a girl sitting around on the beach. Jacob grinned when I hesitated by the truck, throwing an arm around me. "Come on. They know you're coming…they're dying to meet you." He tugged my hand, pulling me closer to the fire where they were roasting marshmallows. "Guys…Leah." He nodded to the girl who rolled her eyes, smirking a little. "This is Bella." They all grinned up at me where I stood half hiding behind Jacob. "Bella, this is Quill, Embry, and Seth." Seth looked a bit younger than the others, but he also seemed the friendliest, jumping up from his seat on a log and gesturing for me to take it. I smiled at him, thanking him quietly as I sat beside the girl. "And, of course, Leah, Seth's sister." I grinned a little at her and she smiled.

"Hey."

"Hi." I mumbled, feeling my face heat up, always embarrassed when I was forced to interact with new people.

Her smile, however, managed to put me at ease. "I can't believe you let him drag you out here at six am." I laughed a little.

"Yea, me either. I should have locked my door." She grinned. "Do you come every week?"

"Oh no." She laughed. "Jacob promised to bring someone new. Usually it's just him, Quill, and Embry." She hesitated. "And Sam."

I lifted an eyebrow. "Sam?" Her cheeks heated up and I resisted the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl. Instead I crossed my arms, glad that the guys had gathered around the other side of the fire and were fighting over the chocolate bars.

"He's…my boyfriend. I mean…it's kind of new…but yea." I laughed quietly.

"Why isn't he here?"

"He's on his way." She tucked a phone back into her pocket. "He overslept."

"Can't blame him." I looked at the fire for a second, debating. I'd never had a girlfriend…nor had I ever had a girlfriend that I could talk to about my boyfriend. And now that I had an actual boyfriend…'What the heck. I'll try it.' "I…know what you mean. I have a…a new boyfriend too."

"You've only been here for a week!" She laughed, and I saw the camaraderie light up in her eyes. She wasn't used to this either. "What's his name?"

"Edward." I mumbled, looking back at the fire. "It's…I mean I never really had one…before. But…"

She laughed. "I know what you mean. Sam's my first boyfriend too." I smiled at her a little, biting my lip. "So, what's Edward like?"

"He's…amazing. Really…his whole family…they're all great. They were all so nice when I first got here."

"Especially Edward?" I grinned around a yawn.

"Yea…I guess."

"Oh…here he is." She blushed a little, lighting up when a tall boy, probably around nineteen, strode over, grinning at Jacob and ruffling Sam's hair, then made his way over to Leah. I started to stand, but he put a hand on my shoulder, then held it out.

"You must be Bella. Hey." He shook my hand gently. "Nice to meet you." I smiled.

"Hi Sam." He dropped onto the ground beside Leah and I glanced away when he kissed her, suddenly wishing that Edward were here with me…that he could bring Jasper and Emmett and Alice…they could all sit on the ground with us around the fire and laugh and…just hang out with us. 'Why can't they come here?' I wondered, then realized that Sam was looking at me, his eyebrows lifted in amusement. "What?" Everyone laughed softly and I gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry…but come on. It's six in the morning."

Sam nodded. "I said, I thought Jacob mentioned you had a boyfriend. You should invite him out sometime." My eyes widened as I glanced at Jacob. Had he not told them? "You know, let us haze him a little…try and scare him off." I laughed a little at the thought of anything scaring Edward, but shook my head.

"I, uh…don't think he'd really want to come."

"Can't imagine why not." Leah teased with a grin."

"What's the guy's name? We might know him." The one Jacob had introduced as Quill asked, offering me a marshmallow that I passed to Sam instead of eating.

"Um…Edward." They all looked at me expectantly. "Cullen." I tried to look nonchalant, but even Leah's eyes widened.

"Oh." Sam said quietly, looking around for a minute as though waiting for someone to jump out of the bushes. "Um…well, if he doesn't want to come…that's fine."

Despite knowing all about the Cullens, I didn't know the truth about why they couldn't come here. I mean, Jacob had told me the legend…but was it true? Were they really at war with shape shifting tribe members? "Hey pass me another one."

"You've already eaten three." Leah scolded her brother with a laugh. He stuck his tongue out at her, grabbing another from the bag Jacob was holding hostage, then jumped up, racing away as Jacob chased him down. I laughed with the others and tried to ignore Sam's frequent glances in my direction.

When the party, and by party I mean the guys stuffing their mouths with marshmallows and throwing gram crackers at one another, was over, Jacob, Quill, and Embry stood, stretching and groaning about how they were going back to bed, and I shook my head irritably. "Don't know why you can't do this later…"

"They used to do it at night…after all of their parents went to sleep…that was the tradition." Leah told me with a smile. "But then Jacob got them all caught, and…" She shrugged. "I think they're still trying to be rebellious. But six am was the earliest Billy would let Jacob go." I laughed, shaking my head when Jacob threw me a curious look. I'd use that on him later. Leah followed Seth toward the beach and Sam stayed behind, throwing water on the fire. I pretended to reach down and get my sweatshirt, then paused.

"Sam?"

He glanced up. "Yea?"

"Can…can I ask you something?"

"What's up?" I straightened, glancing up at the beach where Jacob and Leah were waiting for us, looking puzzled.

"Why can't the Cullens come here?" He sighed, crossing his arms and glancing over at Jacob and Leah.

"Did Jacob tell you anything?"

"Just…some old legends…about…" I forced myself to sound incredulous. "I don't know, shape shifting wolves and…vampires." He nodded.

"Yea. That's the gist of it." He laughed a little, the noise strained. "Our parents, our grandparents…they take those old stories seriously. When the Cullens moved in, they…well they said they remembered them, from back when they were kids. Say they haven't changed at all. So when doctor Cullen started working at the hospital, a bunch of them, especially the older ones, refused to go. Even Billy…until he visited you, hadn't gone…refused to visit anyone." I sighed, shaking my head.

"It doesn't make any sense…they're not allowed to come here?"

"I don't know…no one ever says anything about whose supposed to enforce that. Honestly, I don't care if they come here…neither do most of the younger people. But the elders…" He shrugged. "What they say goes, I guess. My friend said that there was a meeting, back when they first moved here. The doctor and his wife, and all the elders…said they all went somewhere and talked about some treaty. But I don't really know…no one talks about it." He told me apologetically. "And if I were you, I'd keep your boyfriend's name kind of quiet. Especially around the elders…" I nodded.

"Billy's already kind of forbidden me from seeing them." He chuckled.

"Yea, sounds like Billy." He looked me up and down, grinning a little. "But you don't seem the type that would let anyone 'forbid' her anything. You're like Leah." He chuckled when I felt my face flush and I looked down at my feet. "See you around Bella. Leah's going to get jealous." He winked familiarly, reminding me of Jacob, and I laughed, following him up the beach where I met Jacob who was rolling his eyes.

"Can't take you anywhere. Come on." He opened the door for me with a mock bow, then drove off toward the house where we both dropped into bed for another few hours.

* * *

I parked my truck at the border and shut if off, closing my eyes and resting my forehead on my hands. My extra two hours of sleep hadn't helped much and despite the cold I had a feeling I could probably just fall asleep…

I jumped when my door was pulled open, whirling around in my seat, then calming when I found myself face to face with a worried Edward. "Bella? Are you okay?" He reached out and touched my cheek with a hand that didn't feel quite so cold anymore. "You're freezing!" He cried, pulling me out of the truck, pocketing the keys, and then carrying me to his car which was wonderfully warm. "What were you doing?"

"Stupid bonfire." I mumbled, curling up on his seat. He frowned at me in confusion.

"What? Bella are you feeling okay?"

I realized I probably sounded crazy and tried to smile. "Sorry. Yea, I'm okay. Just tired. Jacob dragged me to a stupid bonfire this morning." I closed my eyes once more and, without really thinking about it, leaned my head against his shoulder. He sighed, lifting his arm and wrapping it around me, then pulled me closer, rubbing my arm with his hand.

"A bonfire?"

"Yea…some kind of Sunday tradition that I hope to skip from now on. He wanted me to meet his friends."

"Did you have fun?" I could hear the slight smile in his voice now.

"I guess." I yawned, enjoying the heat blowing from the vents. "Leah's nice."

"Clearwater."

"Right. Sorry, yea. Leah and Seth. And I met Sam…"

"Sam Uley." He provided the last name. "Yes…I've met his grandfather." I nodded.

"Yea, he said you guys couldn't come to La Push…something about the elders." I yawned again, trying to keep my eyes open, but it was a losing battle.

"Go ahead and rest, Bella. I'll take you back to the house." I thought he said something else, but I was out.

"Is she ill?" A cold hand touched my face and I cringed away, rolling over and huddling under the blanket. The hand moved, pulling the blanket up to my neck then resting on my shoulder.

"They're boring when they sleep!"

"Shut up! You'll wake her!"

"No, she said she was just tired…apparently there was some kind of bonfire at La Push that Jacob forced her to attend."

"Hey, I'll bet I can poke her without waking her up."

"Leave her alone."

'Jasper? Emmett?' My tired brain tried to process that, but it wanted sleep more.

"I thought you were taking her out."

"I am…I wanted her to get some sleep first. We've got all day." I knew that voice…Edward. I tried to make my hand reach out to him, but my movements were hampered by the blanket. He chuckled softly and I felt the surface I was on move. His arms slipped around me and my head resting on his arm. I felt his lips against my forehead, his arm around my back, and I could have purred in contentment. I was briefly awake enough to wish that he could stay with me every night, then fell back into sleep, his breathing and the soft hum of a TV the only noises I could hear.

"Da*n it!" I jerked awake at the booming voice that echoed through the house, my breath catching in a gasp, and Edward's arms tightened around me as he sighed.

"Sorry." He murmured to me.

"Emmett!" I heard Esme's quiet rebuke and he murmured apology.

"Hey, she's up!" I could hear the laughter in Emmett's voice and knew that this had been completely deliberate. "You sure sleep a lot." Edward kept his arms around me as we sat up, moving to sit beside me on what I realized was the living room sofa. Jasper and Emmett had set up at what looked like ten chessboards on the far side of the living room and were playing…something. I wasn't sure I recognized all the pieces from chess. Alice , who was sat cross-legged in a chair, her fingers flying over the tablet in her hands, glanced up at me with a smile, and Jasper chuckled softly.

"I think she'd sleep more if you kept your mouth shut." He grinned up at me. "Mornin' Bella."

"What time is it?" I asked with a yawn.

"Only two." Edward told me, making my eyes widen in surprise. "You really should try to sleep more." I realized that this was the second time I'd fallen asleep in his house and blushed.

"Sorry." I mumbled. He shook his head, cupping my hot cheek, seeming to pause for a second, then smiled gently.

"I don't mind. It's alright. You can sleep here whenever you like." He promised, his thumb stroking my cheek.

"Emmett, did you wake her up?" Esme scolded as she came into the living room, Carlisle on her heels. He gave her a sheepish look and she rolled her eyes, sitting on the sofa beside me and touching my face. "Are you getting enough sleep, sweetheart?" She asked gently. I nodded, trying to keep the blood from rushing to my cheeks at being the center of attention.

"Yea…Jacob just woke me up early."

She nodded, smiling a little. "Well, I'm glad you were able to get some sleep here." She pulled me into her arms, kissing my hair. "Are you hungry, sweetheart?" Carlisle, who sat behind her, was watching me carefully, but I shook my head. They were being so kind…I couldn't let her keep cooking for me. She was looking at me carefully, her gaze gentle but worried, and I pretended that I wasn't starving, praying my stomach wouldn't start growling.

"Alright.' She smiled, dropping her hand from my face and squeezing mine before standing and going into the kitchen. Carlisle looked after her with a grim smile, and I could hear the refrigerator open and close.

"What…what is she…"

Jasper laughed aloud, pushing over one of Emmett's pieces and standing, ignoring his brother's loud curse. Walking over to me, he reached out and ruffled my hair. "Rule number one, darlin. You can't lie to Esme."

**Thank you all for reading :) I hope you liked it.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you all for reviewing! I hope you all like this chapter. **

I sat at the table beside Edward, staring at the plate of five star restaurant quality food. 'It's just a cheeseburger and fries…why does it look like it was arranged by a chef who studied at the Le Cordon Bleu?'

"How does it look?" Esme asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you sure you've never cooked before?" I asked skeptically. She laughed, dropping a kiss on my head.

"Not since my human days, I'm sure. At least, I assume I cooked…I can't really remember." I frowned up at her for a moment, a little confused, but she diverted my attention back to the burger. "Well, try it. For all I know it's terrible." I laughed, reaching down at taking a bite a little self consciously, very aware of their eyes on me. But, as I already knew, it tasted even better than it looked. I nodded, humming happily, and she laughed, her hand still on my shoulder.

"It's wonderful. Thank you." I told her with a smile, touching her hand on my shoulder.

"You're very welcome." Moving away, she left us alone in the kitchen, although I could still hear Emmett and Jasper talking in the other room and assumed they were still playing.

"What are they playing?" I wondered after swallowing a bite of food.

"Emmett and Jasper?" He chuckled. "Um…they made it up. Most of the pieces are from chess, but regular chess gets boring after a while, so they went out one day and bought more chessboards, set them up in the living room, dumped out all the pieces, along with some from Backgammon and I think one of them is from Sorry…" I laughed when he chuckled softly. "They spent three days making up rules and fighting…they won't play with me anymore…the mind reading thing." I could understand that. "They won't play with Alice either, although sometimes Jasper will give in and let her play. But she always wins." He paused his story, reaching over and moving a strand of hair from my face with a smile, gesturing for me to keep eating. "They'll teach you sometime." He promised, pushing a glass of water toward my plate.

"I'd never figure it out." I laughed, taking another bite. "I can never even win regular chess."

"We can practice sometime, although, fair warning, even I couldn't beat Jasper if I couldn't read his mind. I'm not sure he's ever lost a game to anyone but me." I took a drink of water, my cheeks heating up when he watched me. His eyes were soft when I glanced up at him, and his cold fingertips brushed against my cheek. Then suddenly he was back to his conversation. "I was thinking we could go out…for a walk. I wanted to show you something." I nodded; swallowing my last bite of burger, then drank the rest of my water. "If you're up for it…or you could sleep some more?" He teased. I smiled, shaking my head.

"I've slept enough. Just let me…" I glanced down at my plate, stiffening in surprise for a moment when I realized there was no plate…looking up I found Esme at the sink, washing it along with my glass, and I stared incredulously at Edward who was regarding me with amusement. "How…Esme, you don't…" They both laughed, and Edward pulled me to my feet, taking my hand.

"Go ahead, sweetheart. Have fun. Edward there's a jacket hanging up by the door for Bella." She appeared at my side, kissing my cheek, then went back into the living room. Edward took my hand, pulling me along into the living room, and Emmett and Jasper glanced up from where they sat on the floor.

"See ya." Emmett waved, all of his concentration on the board, but Jasper glanced up, and I felt a wave of warmth wrap around me.

"Have fun." He offered, grinning when Emmett moved a piece, then moving one of his own, snatching three of what I assumed were Emmett's off the board and laughing when Emmett swore.

The last thing I heard was Esme's quiet scolding as we stepped outside, Edward wrapping the jacket around me. It wasn't particularly cold, but it was overcast and the wind blew cold air around us. He buttoned the jacket for me, pulling the hood up, then took my hand, leading me toward the trees. "So, it's kind of a long walk." He began a little sheepishly, and I turned to him.

"Edward you said we were going to walk." He grinned, the look that managed to melt my resolved, and squeezed my hand.

"We are…but I'm going to run first."

"Edward!"

"It's only going to take a few minutes...if that." He was more amused than I would have liked. "It wasn't so bad last time."

"Because I kept my eyes closed!"

"So, keep them closed again." He grinned, reaching out and caching me before I could try and escape. I couldn't stifle a laugh as he caught me around the waist, gently placing me on his back, and waiting for me to cling to his neck. "Don't forget to close your eyes." He kissed one of my hands, moving my legs around his waist, and right after I closed my eyes, tucking my head against his neck, he was running.

The air rushed past me as I clung to him, and although I didn't dare open my eyes I could imagine how quickly we were moving through the forest, how the trees would be nothing but a green and brown blur…how the sky would race by. I inhaled, my nose against his neck, and his scent calmed me immediately, my arms relaxing around his neck, and I might have fallen if he hadn't caught me quickly, his hands catching mine. And then, as quickly as he'd begun to run, he came to a halt. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, touching my hands. I nodded slightly, but couldn't quite bring myself to let go.

Once again, he unwound my legs, then my arms, being gentle as he crouched down until my feet hit the ground, then spun around, catching me easily. "Are you sure you're okay?" I took a deep breath, clinging to him for a moment, then stood on my own.

"Fine...thanks." He chuckled, kissing my head, then slipped an arm around me.

"Come on. It's only a few minutes from here." We walked at my pace, although he never seemed frustrated at moving so slowly. Instead he made sure to catch me every time I stumbled, leading me toward a line of trees where I could see sunlight break through, and I remembered what he'd said about sunlight.

I stepped through the trees, gasping as I looked around the beautiful meadow, the sunlight warming me as I closed my eyes, tilting my head up. I felt like I hadn't seen the sun since I moved here, and I missed it more than anything about Arizona. I could hear Edward's soft chuckle and I whirled around, finding him still under the trees. "Well come on!" I cried, crossing my arms and smiling, the sun elating my already good mood. He started to take a hesitant step forward, then paused when I walked back to where he stood, reaching out with a hand to take his. He smiled at me softly as I pulled, then followed me forward into the sunlight.

I suppose my jaw must have dropped. My hand tightened around him as we moved completely into the sunlight. It seemed as though tiny diamonds were buried in his skin, sparkling in the sunlight. The sun brought out the red and blonde in his messy hair, and the hand that lifted to push the strands of hair behind my ear made tiny rainbows on my own arm. His lips turned up into a small smile, and he led me to the middle of the field, throwing down his own jacket and sitting me down beside me. I started to reach out to him, to run my hands over his beautiful skin, but hesitated. He smiled gently, catching my retreating hand, and placing it on his face. "Go ahead." He invited, closing his eyes as my fingertips moved over his face, skimming over his eyelids and around his nose, stroking his cheek…then dropped to his arm, running my hands over his fingers and knuckles.

"Is it okay?" I asked quietly, glancing up at his face. His eyes were closed, but they opened briefly to glance at me. The gentle smile that lit up his face made my heart stutter.

"Of course. You cannot imagine how wonderful that feels." He stroked my hand with his thumb, turning his hand in mine to capture it, then lifted it slowly, pressing his lips against the back of it.

"Why does your skin…in the sun…it's like diamonds." I gave up on the question, still in awe over the way sunlight affected him.

He chuckled, laying back on the ground, and I lay beside him, shifting until I was laying against his side, my head on his shoulder. "We're not really sure…Carlisle think it has something to do with how our venom changes us…and our skin. But he can't really be sure. It'd kind of hard to test…especially since he can't exactly run tests on samples. Either way, it sort of keeps us out of the public eye on sunny days."

"Is that why the myth started then?"

"Possibly. Carlisle's acquaintances in Italy…they work to keep our existence a secret. So they may have spread that particular rumor…tried to make us a little more fantastical." He stared at me for a long moment, his hand lifting to touch my face. "It can be rather inconvenient. You wouldn't believe how tiresome nighttime can get over the years…so we choose places like Forks. Here we can go out in the daytime, go to school…" He trailed off then.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked, and he laughed as his own question was thrown back at him.

"Forgive me…I'm finding it difficult not to be distracted by how beautiful you look." I felt my face catch fire and ignored his chuckle.

"People…don't say things like that." I mumbled, willing my face to go back to its normal color.

"I don't see why not. It's true." He stroked my face, and keeping an arm around me, sat us both up. "I would like to try something, if its alright with you." He said softly, placing a hand on my cheek. I nodded slightly; feeling my heartbeat accelerate and hoping that wouldn't make things harder for him. "Try and stay very still." He whispered, his face closer now. I fought the urge to lean in…to meet him halfway. The hand on my face helped to keep me still, gently restraining until his lips found mine.

* * *

He didn't know if he could do this…if he should do this. He could hurt her…he could lose control in an instant and kill her. And that thought was too painful to even consider. But then her eyes slipped shut and his lips met hers, and a jolt of fire ripped through his spine, making him feel hot all over like he couldn't remember ever feeling before. No contact had ever done this to him…he'd never even dreamed that he could feel like this. Her hand slipped around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair, and he fought the urge to pull her closer. 'I can't. I…' All of his thoughts seemed to evaporate when she moved closer, and all he could think of was her…how soft she was, how warm her hands were…'No. No!' He jerked away, hoping he wasn't hurting her, and backed away, making sure he was far enough away that he wouldn't be tempted to go back.

The startled, hurt look on her face floored him for a moment, and he realized that there had to have been a better way to pull away than that. Her hand dropped to her side, her upper lip going between her teeth, and her face dropped, her hair hiding her face. Terrified that she was so hurt that she would cry, he hurried back to her side, kneeling in front of her and gently cupping her cheek. "No." He whispered. "Oh Bella…you don't understand." He took a deep breath, trying to accustom himself once more to her scent, then forced a small smile. "I am so sorry. That was very rude of me. Would you understand if I told you that I'm only human?" She blushed delicately, nodding, and he moved to sit at her side once more, taking her hand gently in his own, hoping he hadn't hurt it when he'd jerked away. Running his fingers over hers, he glanced up at her, making sure this wasn't causing her any kind of pain.

"I'm sorry." He looked up in surprise, her hand, still in his, forgotten. "I just…you hadn't before…so I thought maybe…" Immediately he understood.

'She thought I didn't _want_ to kiss her.' He didn't allow himself to laugh, although it sounded outrageous to him. All that mattered was that he'd made her feel that way. He leaned forward, moving to rest his forehead against hers.

"I have never wanted anyone like I want you." He told her quietly, his eyes fixed on her own. "Don't ever doubt that. But I have to be so careful…if I forgot, just for one moment how fragile you were, I could hurt you…I could kill you." He didn't even want to entertain the notion. The thought of life without her now was unbearable. "I love you." He whispered. "And it's going to take some…practice." He grinned a little when her eyes lit up mischievously. "Lots of practice." He went on. "But I don't mind if you don't."

"Not at all." He chuckled when she moved closer again, placing a hand on her face and moving closer once more, his lips against hers for just a brief moment before pulling away, the burn in his throat making him conscious of how close she was.

'It's getting better.' Which was something he appreciated. But it would be easier if he could spend more time with her…if he could sneak into La Push. He didn't doubt he could do so without being detected. 'But Esme would panic…Carlisle would forbid it. If I were to get caught…who knows when the shape-shifters will awaken once more.' "Come here." He lay back once more, pulling her close, and she curled up against him, her head on his shoulder. Briefly, her lips touched his cheek and he smiled, closing his eyes and dropping his head back on the ground, content to hold her for a while.

The sun began to disappear after about an hour, dipping behind the clouds that began to emerge, and he felt her shiver. Sitting up, he slipped out of his own jacket and put it around her. "Do you want to go back?" He asked softly? She shook her head, scooting closer to him, and he smiled, reaching down and kissing her forehead. "You're going to get cold, Bella." He sat up, helping her move as well, and kept her against him. "Let's go back to the house. It's only four o'clock. We can stay there for a while." Pulling her gently onto his back, he began running, heading for the house.

* * *

Esme tucked her feet against her side, her head on Carlisle's shoulder, his arm around her. The TV was on the news and she watched idly, looking down occasionally at the book in his lap. Every once in a while he would turn and kiss her forehead, his hand rubbing against her arm. Both of them looked up whenever Jasper or Emmett would laugh or sigh in irritation, checking the progress of their game. They had a system that the first to win two out of three games would win whatever prize they'd decided on beforehand, although no one ever knew what the prize was until afterward, except Edward and Alice of course. Apparently Jasper had already won one game and was winning this one. Emmett had been staring at one of the board for ten minutes, and Jasper was sitting against the wall, grinning and crossing his arms, obviously unconcerned.

Suddenly Emmett glanced up, wincing at something, and Esme immediately understood. Jasper's smug grin slipped off of his face, an irritated frown taking its place. Carlisle sighed and Esme took his hand. Rosalie had been gone all night, and he was glad she was back…they all were. She was their daughter. But her attitude toward Bella was…troublesome, to say the least. Rosalie refused to get to know the girl, blinded by her own jealousy. And in a way, Esme could understand. Her daughter wanted to be human. She wanted children. And it was impossible for her. Now, to see this human girl who would, some day, willingly give up her own humanity, her ability to have children, her natural life, in exchange for an existence that Rosalie herself resented so much…of course Rosalie would be upset. But to take it out on Bella like this…

Carlisle had stopped her from making a scene at the baseball game, making it very clear that if she was going to be cruel to Bella, she could go home. Carlisle rarely was so stern with their children, but he wouldn't allow them to hurt one another, and as of yesterday, Bella was a member of their family. The blonde walked in through the kitchen door, pausing by the kitchen, sniffing for a moment, then rolling her eyes, ignoring the warning look Carlisle sent her, then began walking through the living room, avoiding all of their eyes. Esme felt the air grow heavy and tense, and looked over at Jasper, wondering if he realized he was projecting.

"Jasper." Carlisle spoke softly, and the tension lessened a little. Jasper glanced over at Emmett whose jaw was clenched, and Esme felt a wave of pity for her son. He loved her so much, and Rosalie was lashing out at him. Her daughter glanced over at Jasper, obviously irritated by whatever emotions he was projecting at her, and Esme glanced over at him. Esme missed whatever she said, but suddenly Alice was on her feet, teeth bared, and Emmett jumped up, putting a hand on Alice's shoulder, his face torn. Jasper remained on the floor, his eyes narrowed as he glared up at his sister, and Esme took a second to be glad that their fierce, military son would never attack Rosalie. She was a good fighter, but as the scars on his face showed, he was the best fighter of all of them.

Carlisle leapt to his feet, but it was Esme that stepped forward, grabbing Rosalie's arm before she tried to advance on either Jasper or Alice. Tense arguments could be dangerous for her temperamental children, and she lived in fear that one of their sparring matches would turn serious and she would lose one of them. "Enough!" She snapped, moving between Rosalie and Jasper. "Your room, now, Rosalie." She ordered, pointing to the stairs and giving her daughter a push toward door, glaring when the girl whirled on her. "Do _not_ give me that look. I said now. Alice, enough. Sit down or you can go upstairs as well." Rosalie stormed off and Esme sighed, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"I'll speak to her."

"No." She told her husband softly. "I will." She glanced over at Emmett who was still staring at the ground, his eyes closed. Jasper looked over at him, probably trying to ease whatever emotions he was feeling, and Esme sighed, turning and making her way upstairs.

* * *

Edward slowed and I assumed we were nearing the house. But he stopped abruptly and I gasped in surprise, clutching his neck, glad for his hands on mine as he steadied me. "I'm sorry. Are you alright?" I nodded, dropping down from his back.

"Yea, fine. What's wrong?" He looked down at me for a moment, obviously torn. "Is everything okay…is someone hurt?" He shook his head, placing a hand on my back, stroking my hair.

"Don't be upset." He sighed. "Everyone is fine. Rosalie is home…she's been out since last night."

"She…doesn't want me here." I realized, lowering my gaze.

"Rosalie is…" I shook my head.

"You don't have to explain it…it's fine. Really. Maybe I should go. I don't want to…"

"No." He cupped my face in his hands. "You do not have to be worried about that. If Rosalie is upset and causing trouble, that is not your fault. You haven't done anything to her."

"She hates me." I said softly, looking down at the ground.

"I'm sorry." I closed my eyes when he didn't deny it. "Truly…I am so sorry that she's acting this way." He sighed, pulling my gaze back up to his. "Hey, out of seven Cullens, six of us love you." I had to laugh a little, his lips turning up in response. "Those are pretty good numbers." He touched my face, hesitating for a moment, taking a deep breath, then leaned forward, pressing his lips against mine, but too soon, he pulled away. "Come on. I'd better get you inside. You're going to freeze out here." He took my hand, leading me toward the house.

Immediately I noticed the tension in the air. Emmett and Jasper were sitting on the floor on opposite sides of the living room, their game apparently forgotten. Alice sat cross legged on a dining room chair, her tablet in her hands, and Carlisle lounged on the sofa, staring at the cover of a thick book he obviously was no longer reading. Edward sighed, starting to walk over to the sofa, but I went over to where Emmett sat on the floor, sliding down the wall and sitting beside him. He glanced over at me, grinning faintly, but even I could tell he was upset. "Hey. Did you have fun?"

I had a feeling that question would have sounded much more suggestive had he been in a better mood. "Yea." I glanced over that the board games, noticing that Edward had moved to stand beside Alice and the two of them were murmuring about something. "Who won?" He smiled a little.

"I think we'll finish up tomorrow after school. He's winning though." I bit my lip, placing my hands in my lap and staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry, Emmett." I mumbled, swallowing hard before my eyes betrayed me. "If it wasn't for me…" He shifted and I felt his arms slip around me, pulling me close, and I rested my head on his massive shoulder.

"This isn't your fault. Don't be sorry." He ruffled my hair, pulling away after a minute. "Rose will come around…she just needs some time." He was obviously trying to be positive, but I didn't know if I believed him. Jasper must have felt my skepticism and worry because it was slowly erased until I stuck my tongue out at him, making him laugh aloud. Emmett chuckled as well, leaning against the wall beside me.

"Never saw anyone that could call you out on it so quick…not even us." Jasper shrugged.

"She figured it out from the start. I haven't been able to do it without her knowing yet." Carlisle chuckled from the sofa, finally looking up at us.

"So, how was the bonfire this morning?" I smiled, letting myself forget just a little about the beautiful blonde upstairs that obviously hated me, and told Carlisle and the others about the bonfire, starting with Jacob dragging me out of bed. Alice put her computer down and grinned at me, laughing along with the others, and it wasn't until I was answering one of her questions about Sam that I realized how comfortable I felt here…I truly felt like I was at home in a way I never had, talking to a family that I'd never dreamed I could have. And I knew that I had to figure out a way to make things right with Rosalie. Somehow. Whatever she had against me, whatever reason she had to hate me…there had to be something I could do. I wanted this family…all of it. And I couldn't have that if Rosalie hated me.

* * *

Rosalie leaned against her headboard, her eyes closed, and ignored her mother's entrance into her bedroom. "Rosalie." She kept her eyes closed as her mother shut the bedroom door behind her, moving to sit beside her on the bed. But when her mother put her arms around her, pulling her against her chest and kissing her forehead, she dug her teeth into her lip. "I know that you're hurting, honey. I know that this is hard for you…that it has always been hard for you. I understand. But lashing out at the rest of us…at Bella…that's not going to make it hurt any less."

The blonde had no idea how her mother knew exactly what to say to break her defenses…maybe it was part of her gift, but she sobbed softly, clenching her mother's hand. "Oh baby girl…I know."

"She doesn't understand." Rosalie chocked out, looking up at the woman who was, in every way that mattered, her mother. "She's giving up everything!"

"Rose, Bella isn't giving up anything right now. She's gaining a family. Emmett, Jasper, Alice…they love her. She's Edward's mate…if you would just give her a chance you would see it."

"She's going to become one of us."

"That's what Alice sees." She rubbed Rosalie's back gently. "Her visions are subjective…but Bella is alone, like all of us were in the end. And I know that you would give anything just to be human again…but maybe Bella doesn't want all of the same things you did." Rosalie shook her head but didn't respond. "Bella seems very happy with us, and she's still getting over the loss of her father. Her family situation is…hard. I wish you would try to give her a chance. And even if you can't…have some sympathy for the girl. At least make an attempt to hide your disdain. You don't have to hide away every time she's here. I'm sure Bella would like to meet you...get to know you…" Esme stood, kissing Rosalie's cheek briefly.

* * *

Edward drove me back to my truck, my hand firmly in his the whole way. He was going to pick me up the next day for school at the edge of the reservation, so I didn't have to be away from him for long. The fact that it was going to be hard to be away from him…even for the night, worried me a little. Was I getting too attached too quickly? Maybe he was going to think I was clingy and needy…or maybe he felt the same. We had been sitting by my truck for at least twenty minutes, my hand held tightly in his, and he didn't seem to want to let me go…not that I wanted to leave.

"I love you." I smiled at him, leaning over to rest my head on his shoulder.

"I love you too." He seemed to want to say it as much as he could, and every time the opportunity presented itself, he pressed his lips against mine, or my cheek or my forehead. Not that I minded…quite the opposite. I couldn't think of anything I'd rather do than sit around and kiss him all day.

"I'll pick you up here tomorrow morning…six thirty?" I nodded, moving my head up to kiss him, which he returned happily, his arm going around me before he pulled away with a sigh. "Careful, Bella." He whispered, putting some space between us. Already I was tired of being careful, but I had a feeling that this wasn't going to go away. "Do you think I could live with myself if I hurt you?" He asked gently, cupping my face in his hands, pressing his lips against mine briefly, then pulling away once more. "You'd better get home. Billy and Jacob will be worried."

"It's only six o'clock." I mumbled mulishly, and he laughed, stroking my hair.

"I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well." He kissed my forehead, pulling away then and racing over to my door, holding it open for me and helping me out of the car. He walked me the ten feet to my car, stroking my face once before producing my keys and opening the door for me. "Be careful."

"Goodnight." I mumbled, throwing my arms around him, and he chuckled softly.

"I'll miss you too." He finally pulled away, although I could tell he was as reluctant as I was. "It's only going to be a few hours…" I nodded, climbing into the truck and forcing myself to drive toward the border.

'This is ridiculous.' I told myself, shaking my head. 'Completely ridiculous. I'll see him tomorrow.' But as I looked in the rearview mirror, I could see that he was standing right at the border, watching as I drove away.

* * *

Emmett glanced up when Rosalie entered the room, and she realized that everyone else was gone. She'd heard Edward's car leave, and assumed that he'd taken the girl home. 'Bella. Might as well start using her name.' Jasper and Alice were in their room, and Carlisle and Esme were out hunting. She kept her arms crossed tightly against her chest, refusing to look at him. Rosalie didn't do apologies well. But this was unavoidable. Since she'd found him and saved him…since she'd decided to bind herself to this man, Emmett had been nothing but understanding. At first, when she'd still been too traumatized to let him touch her, he'd sat with her, her constant companion, making her laugh and putting her at ease, telling her stories about everything he could remember.

And then on that night when she'd finally let him in…when she'd sat down and told him everything…he'd held her for hours, and she'd known that he was everything she needed. He took her mood swings and occasional snobbishness, her good days and her bad days, and he loved her through all of them. So now, thinking on their fight, on her cruelty towards her family, and especially toward him…she knew she had to apologize. She would speak to the others at some point, but this took precedence.

She knelt in front of him, glancing up shyly and meeting his confused gaze. "Emmett…" And then, before she realized what was going on, she was sobbing, his arms wrapped around him. She hadn't cried this much in….decades? "I wouldn't…" She pulled away and put her hands on top of his when they framed her face. He'd moved from confused to concerned and was now on worried. "I wouldn't want any of it without you, Emmett." She leaned forward, resting her forehead against her. "You have to know…I wouldn't want anything without you."

**Rosalie is the hardest character to write...I hope it wasn't awful. Thank you all for reading. Let me know if you have questions/suggestions/etc :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you to grim waters and Annecullen for your reviews, and to everyone else who read the story :) I'm glad you are liking it. **

Billy glanced up when I entered the kitchen, shaking his head minutely. Jacob was nowhere to be seen, and I glanced around the kitchen, then down the hallway. "He's out with Quill and Sam." Billy told me quietly from his seat at the table where he had his tackle box out. "I wasn't expecting you back for a while." I mumbled an apology, although I wasn't sure why I needed to apologize. He shook his head, waving my words away. "You hungry? I can make you something."

I shook my head. "I'm fine, thanks." He gave me a look. "I ate at the Cullen's." He seemed surprised but didn't question me. Still I felt the need to defend them. "Esme is a great cook."

"Hm." He pursed his lips, sighing softly.

"She made the food you ate yesterday." He might have flinched a little…I couldn't tell in the dim lighting of the kitchen. "Well she obviously didn't poison it." I mumbled resentfully. "It was nice of her to think of you."

"I didn't ask anything of the Cullens." He reminded me quietly.

"You didn't have to. Esme and Carlisle are kind people."

He scoffed quietly. "People."

"People." I repeated firmly.

"Bella, you've only been here for two weeks…we've known the Cullens for years." I hated the way he slipped into the plural, like he and the tribe were one...like he couldn't think on his own, even after all they'd done for me.

"And in that time, have they ever hurt anyone?" He sighed.

"They could."

"Well what about you?" I crossed my arms. "Apparently your ancestors could change into giant wolves…couldn't they hurt people?"

"Bella there is a huge difference…"

"Why?" I snapped. "They aren't hurting anyone. Carlisle is a doctor! He saved my life…if Edward and Emmett hadn't found me, I would have died out there." He sighed. "Can't you at least admit that? They saved me."

"Of course. And I'll always be grateful to them for that…that doesn't mean I want you hanging around them."

"They won't hurt me." I told him firmly.

"But what if they do?" He placed the bait down on the table, leaning forward.

"I trust them." I wouldn't consider the possibility. They wouldn't. I clung to the idea fiercely…if I allowed myself to think about it…they wouldn't. They would be strong enough. I had to believe that.

"Bella…" He shook his head, lowering his voice. Then, rolling slowly toward where I stood, he reached out, grabbing my wrist. For a moment, he held on tightly, not hurting me, but keeping me in place, his face full of some terrible, frightened emotion. "How do you think this will end?" I started to shake my head, to claim that I didn't know, but he gripped my hand more tightly. "Either he will kill you…" I flinched, starting to pull away but he held tightly to me. "Either he will kill you, or he will turn you. There are no other options."

"What if that's what I want?!" He released my hand, backing away.

"You have no idea what you're saying."

But the more I thought about it, the more I knew he was right in a way. This romance I had with Edward Cullen…it was too much…too strong and all at once. I didn't think I could live without this person…I was already starting to see him as my other half…as my soul mate, as cheesy as that sounded. And his family…I couldn't possible overlook that…these people, because they were people, or as good as to me, treated me like one of their own. I thought of the days in my childhood when I'd so wished for siblings…when I'd seen big brothers on TV that loved and protected and teased and tormented their little sisters…and somehow Emmett and Jasper filled those roles flawlessly. And in the way of big sisters, no one could beat Alice. Of course, that thought led to Rosalie. I could skip over her of course…I could focus on Esme and Carlisle, how they were probably the best parents I could ever ask for. But I didn't want to skip over Rosalie. Selfish girl that I was, I wanted all of them.

* * *

Alice stood out in the middle of the field, miles away from the house. Edward wouldn't be able to hear her. She'd made it clear to Jasper that she wanted…that she needed to be alone. Rosalie, held tightly in Emmett's arms, and Emmett, busy with his wife, couldn't have cared less about where she was going or what she was doing, and of course, Edward was composing. Bella would love her song…he would play it to her until she could hum along, every single note, line by line. He would etch it into her memory, his love for her. 'What better purpose for his music?' She grinned a little, letting the visions run through her mind before her time was up. Bella was going to be so happy…she would complete their family, binding them all together too tightly for anyone to break them apart.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she gave a small, grim smile, already knowing where this was going. She'd known that Bella would want to call her at some point…that's why she'd left the card with her phone number on it in her backpack, stuck between two pages of Pride and Prejudice. Placing it against her ear, she smiled. "Hey Bella."

"How did you get that card in my book?"

"Humans are incredibly unobservant." Alice informed her dryly, smiling when Bella laughed softly on the other line. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah…" Alice sighed. She'd seen Bella's fight with Billy…well, not fight. She'd fled the room though, making sure Edward didn't see Billy grab Bella's arm. She wasn't sure she wanted to find out her how brother would handle that. Edward had never had a mate, but Alice had a feeling that he would rival Jasper in his protectiveness, and despite everything, Alice _liked_ Billy Black. He was funny and clever, and he stood behind his beliefs. Bella could have done worse for a temporary surrogate guardian. Apparently taking Alice's silence as an invitation to keep talking, Bella took a deep breath. "Can you see my future, Alice?" Her voice was quiet…almost fearful, and Alice realized that she could never really sympathize with Bella. She couldn't remember her human life at all…nor had she had a choice in her change.

"I can." She didn't make Bella ask. She wasn't cruel. "I can see you becoming a part of our family."

"How." If she had been human, she wouldn't have been able to hear her faint voice.

"I can't remember my own change." She informed Bella softly. "I just remember waking up as a vampire. But all the others…" She sighed, trying to figure out how to phrase this. "When a vampire bites a human, we inject our venom into their blood. If the venom is allowed to spread, they are changed." She kept her explanation simple, knowing that Edward wouldn't approve. The girl was silent and Alice worried that she'd scared her after all. "You do get a say in this, Bella. One of us would never try to change you against your will…actually, Carlisle would have to be the one to do it. He's the only one with enough control."

"Control?" Alice sighed, not wanting to get into this over the phone. It was the worst part of who they were…the hardest thing to deal with.

"I don't think we should talk about this over the phone." She told Bella gently. "But I do see you becoming one of us."

"Does Edward know?"

"We all know. There aren't really secrets in our family. But Bella…is that what _you_ want?" The girl took a deep breath.

"I don't know…I mean….you guys are…" She broke off, frustrated and obviously worried, and Alice smiled softly in the darkness.

"Bella, you are a member of our family now." She reassured the girl softly. "We love you…no matter what you decide." She closed her eyes for a moment, her lip slipping between her teeth when she heard the girl sniff softly. "But don't worry about it right now." She urged the girl. "You have as much time as you need to decide all of this."

"Edward doesn't want me to know." Alice was surprised that Bella would guess this…but her brother didn't do subtle very well, and his protectiveness was already apparent, even to Bella who hadn't known him for very long.

"Edward is protective of you…if anything, he's going to be overly protective for a while. This is as new to him as it is to you. So let him have his way sometimes." She urged Bella. "He would never do anything that he didn't think was in your best interests. But you can always talk to us…if something is bothering you. Anyway…you need to talk to _him _about this when you're ready. He can't read your mind." She grinned when Bella giggled. "Just think about it. There's no rush."

"Thank you, Alice." The spiky haired vampire smiled, already missing the girl she saw as her new little sister and best friend.

"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Bella."

"Night Alice."

* * *

Emmett lay on the bed next to his wife, holding her tightly in his arms. The lights were out, but he could see her perfectly, ever detail of her perfect face, every strand of beautiful hair…he pressed his lips against her hair, smiling when she turned her face up, meeting his lips with hers. But as much as he wanted her, he knew that they did actually need to talk. She seemed to sense his hesitation and sighed, laying her head back on his shoulder. She'd told him that she wouldn't want anything without him…that she wouldn't trade any of it if she couldn't have him, and he had to admit that her words had soothed so many of his fears. Of course , there was no reversing what they were ,but if she had decided one day that he wasn't worth it…he shook his head. She loved him, and she wanted him…but she also wanted her humanity back. And he couldn't really blame her, although he'd found happiness in this life.

"I just don't understand." He confessed softly, stroking her hair. "She makes Edward so happy, Esme and Carlisle love her..." He sighed when she shrugged defensively. "Won't you talk to me?"

"She has everything." Rosalie admitted quietly, her voice full of pain. "She can have children…a family. And she's going to throw it all away…"

"You have a family." He reminded her. "Don't let jealousy blind you…Bella is a _good_ person…she loves us, and she doesn't really have any family left…just us." He knew exactly what Rosalie was thinking and pulled away a little, touching her face but speaking firmly. "She _is_ family, Rosalie. Now that she's with Edward…that she's been all but adopted by Esme and Carlisle, she is a member of our family." He kissed her forehead gently, holding her close once more. "I love you." He murmured. "More than anything. But you have to understand, we all love her too…she's going to be one of us. You could at least _try _to get to know her."

"She doesn't know what she's doing." Rosalie persisted.

"It's still her choice." He reminded her softly. "Please, Rose. Just…try." She sighed, looking up at him for a long moment, then pressing her lips against his once more.

"I'm going to try." She promised. "If she's going to be a member of our family, then I'll try. But I can't promise anything." He grinned, kissing her cheek. He had no doubt that once his wife let her guard down, she would be unable to help falling in love with his new little sister.

* * *

Having the same nightmare over and over...for what felt like a hundred times in one night, did not dull the horror of it. I tossed and turned all through the night, my mind going back to the scene, conjuring my father's blank, unseeing eyes, making me relive again and again all night the night of my father's death. But worse than those dreams was the one I had just before waking…the scene of the crime was the same…but Charlie pulled me from the wreckage…and I'd never felt so relieved as when I saw him alive, smiling at me, holding me close, asking if I was okay. And I'd never felt so much pain as when I woke suddenly, abruptly realizing that it had all been a cruel dream. I curled into a ball in the warm room, ignoring the fact that it was three a.m. I didn't want to sleep again…I didn't want to face that again. Too afraid to shut my eyes, I'd lain awake for hours, trying not to make any noise and alert Jacob or Billy to my pain.

When it was finally time to get up, I splashed warm water on my face, hoping to disguise the dark circles and puffy eyes, but it barely helped. Without speaking to either Jacob or Billy, I ate a bowl of cereal, threw on my clothes, and waited around in my room until I needed to leave. Pulling on the heavy coat, I zipped it snugly, but still shivered as I climbed into my truck and blasted the heat, hastily moving to turn it off when the air came out cold. Deciding that the air would heat up on the way, I went ahead and pulled out of the driveway, heading down the streets of the reservation. A few people who, for reasons unknown, were sitting on their porches, bundled up and smoking cigarettes, glanced at me, sometimes lifting a hand in a wave, and I returned the gesture hesitantly, wondering if Billy had spoken to them about his best friend's crazy daughter who was dating the vampire doctor's son.

I pulled out of the reservation, yawning and reaching for the heat, quickly shutting it off once more when it was still cold, and then slowed to a stop when I saw a sleek, silver car parked on the side of the road. Pulling over, I parked behind it, starting a little when Edward appeared at my door, his pleasant smile slowly slipping away when he saw my face. "Bella? Are you ill?" He opened my door, touching my cold face with his already cold hands.

"I'm fine." I tried to smile, still shivering from the cold wind that blew in and wondering if it was almost time for summer. "It's always freezing here." He grinned a little, reaching into the truck and pulling me into his arms, making me squeak in surprise. "What are you…Edward put me down!" I cried, unable to suppress a laugh when he only chuckled, supporting me with one arm and grabbing my backpack, shutting off my truck and pocketing my keys.

"I thought I'd give you a ride…but I've got half a mind to take you to Carlisle. You look terrible."

"Thanks." I grumbled as he carried me to his car, my head resting naturally against my neck. "What about my truck?" I asked when I was placed inside the wonderfully warm car, unable to help myself as I pressed my hands against the heating vents. He watched me, shutting his own door and turning up the heat.

"Do you think anyone will try and steal it?" He asked doubtfully. I had to laugh at that, shaking my head as my eyes grew heavy in the warmth of his luxury car. "Do they have heating?" He asked seriously, watching as I leaned my head back on the headrest, my eyes slipping shut.

"Their heating works fine. It's just so cold outside." I felt my body start to relax in the warm car, my eyes drifting shut, and heard him sigh. Something about his presence, having him with me within easy reaching distance, made me feel safe, like the terrible nightmares that plagued me couldn't touch me when he was with me.

"Do you want to ditch school today?" He wondered seriously. I shook my head firmly.

"Of course not. I'm just…" I yawned, covering my mouth belatedly, my limbs heavy with want of sleep. "…a little tired. I couldn't sleep." He sighed, still watching me closely, and I hurried to try and distract him. I didn't want him to start questioning me…didn't want to try and relive the horrific nightmares as I attempted to explain why I couldn't even close my eyes when I was alone… "We're going to be late." He stared at me for a second, reaching out and placing a gentle hand against my cheek, his thumb resting under my eye, and I felt my cheeks grow uncomfortably hot. His eyes slipped shut and he took a deep breath, freezing in place as his hand stayed against my face. "Sorry." I mumbled, starting to pull away, but he shook his head.

"Just a second." He nearly whispered, and I stilled, relaxing when he did. "There. Not so bad." He stroked the skin under my eye one more time, then moved away a little. "I just have to get used to it again. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Completely sure." I assured him. I wasn't going to take _another _nap at his house…surely Carlisle would insist on some kind of therapy or something for me and I couldn't deal with that…not on top of everything else.

"Alright…but if you start feeling sick, tell me." He made it sound like a request and I nodded, although I had no intention of doing so. It was just a little missed sleep. I'd be fine. "Bella…wake up." I jerked awake when his hand touched my face, not even aware that I'd fallen asleep…hadn't we just been outside the reservation?

"How fast did you drive?" I mumbled, wiping at my eyes and trying not to meet his amused but still worried gaze.

"About ten miles under the speed limit. It took us nearly thirty minutes to get here." I stretched in the small car, looking at him strangely when he watched me as if fascinated.

"What?"

"Nothing." He chuckled, a sort of strained sound, then climbing out of the car as I did, pulling his own backpack over his shoulder.

"Wait…" The cobwebs started to clear from my mind and I looked around. "Where are the others? Don't they usually ride with you?" He grinned, reaching out and intertwining his fingers with mine as we walked through the parking lot, the cold emanating from his hands not bothering me at all.

"Yes, they do. But they took Rosalie's car today." He gestured toward a crowd of guys surrounding something that I assumed was Rosalie's car. "It's a bit…. ostentatious." I giggled, shaking my head. "Well, it suits her I suppose." He tugged me gently toward the building and led me toward the school. "The others are inside I think…no Alice is coming." He sighed a little when, a second later, the small black haired girl appeared, her eyes bright with excitement as she caught sight of me. If she noticed how I looked she gave no outward sign.

"Hey Bella!" She greeted me happily, bouncing up to me and throwing her arms around me. I hugged her back, laughing when she rocked up back and forth. "You look terrible." I sighed.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Oh I know." I snorted.

"Yea, I'll bet you do." She giggled when I rolled my eyes.

"Come on. You're still cold. We'd better get you inside. Class starts in a few minutes anyway. What took you guys so long?" She asked a little suggestively, making my cheeks heat up once more and making Edward chuckle. It was impossible not to feel comfortable with Alice around though, and I realized that my embarrassment vanished immediately.

'Wait….' I glanced around while Edward answered her, smirking when I caught sight of Alice's blonde…companion? Boyfriend? Lover? I realized that I had no idea, but Jasper grinned when he caught me staring, making his way over.

"Hey Bella." He didn't touch me…didn't get quite that close, but he used his gift to brush against me with happy emotions, and the sensation reminded me of a cat rubbing against my arm and purring so that I could feel the vibrations, and I knew that this was his way of greeting me. I smiled, wishing I could do the same. Deciding it couldn't hurt to try, I focused on being happy to see him, keeping the image of the cat rubbing against my hand, focusing on pushing my emotions only at him. His eyes widened for a moment, then gentled as he smiled at me in happy surprise. "I've never met a human who could do that…you're very good at it." He told me simply. I felt my cheeks redden, the unexpected praise taking me by surprise.

Edward chuckled at my embarrassment, squeezing my hand and starting to lead us all inside. "Come. We need to get you inside."

* * *

Edward frowned down at his paper, one part of his brain instructing his hand to keep a perfect transcript of whatever the teacher was going on about while the rest of his brain, the majority, thought back to Bella…or rather, his constant worry for her, never stopping to wonder if this was natural. He'd been there when Esme had been changed…he'd heard Carlisle's thoughts as they'd shifted to revolve around her. He'd heard Emmett's, as soon as he'd become a vampire and then learned on Rosalie's past, start to revolve only around his new mate, and he'd heard Jasper's…seen how he'd been before Alice, and then seen the way he was now utterly devoted to the little pixie. The women were the same…to an extent. They all loved their mates above everything, and were protective as well, but with four males in the house, the 'testosterone'…although none of them produced that anymore, but it was the best analogy he could come up with considering his mind was full of Bella at the moment…tended to run high, and any time there was a conflict with others, especially nomads, the men stepped to the front, ready to fight to the death to defend the women they adored.

He sighed at his own ability to distract himself and went back to Bella. When he'd first seen her, her face too pale with dark circles under her eyes…the way she'd trembled from the cold even when he turned the heat on, he'd been on the verge of rushing her off to see Carlisle…this was the third night she'd been unable to get enough rest. He wouldn't even have to take her to the hospital...his father had the day off. But of course, she would have thrown a fit if his impressions of her so far had been correct, so he'd tried persuasion…and failed.

His thoughts moved in circles around her for a while, trying to figure out a way to help, then wandered back to his family and their easy acceptance of Bella…for the most part. When Alice had made up her mind about her new best friend, he hadn't been all that shocked. Alice's visions were solid, showing him just how much Alice would love the girl. What he hadn't expected was Jasper's draw to the girl…and not in a thirsty kind of way. Jasper genuinely liked Bella. 'Jasper doesn't 'like' anyone!' He cried in his mind, unable to truly comprehend it.

Shaking his head a little guilty, he retracted that mental statement. Jasper loved his family. Emmett and himself were seen as brothers more than friends, and even egotistical, shallow Rosalie was regarded with fondness. His brother held nothing but love and gratitude toward Carlisle and Esme, and saw them as his parents. And Peter and Charlotte, old friends of his, were always welcomed warmly when they came for a visit. But as for people outside of his family, Jasper had never shown a bit of interest. Any time Alice had made conversation with a human, Jasper had kept as quiet and far away from them as was possible without arousing suspicion. But after hearing about Alice's visions…he was already accepting her as a member of the family, someone to be protected without question…not that Edward minded that part. Bella was certainly a magnet for trouble, but with the fierce southern ex-soldier and his giant bear of a brother protecting her, she might stand a chance. Even that thought, so loosely related to her loss, made him flinch.

Edward wouldn't lose her. After a hundred or so years of loneliness…of being the odd man out in a family of couples…of complete misery (well in hindsight…he hadn't realized it before Bella had come along)…well, he wasn't going back. Not ever. She was like a light…a blinding light in the cursed darkness that had enveloped him for so long. 'Very poetic.' He thought sarcastically. 'Maybe I should write her a sonnet. I'm sure she'll love that. Why not widen the gap between our upbringings a little more.' But his smile softened when he thought of her, even laughing at a bad poem he'd written, or asking questions about the period of time he'd rightfully belonged to…he wouldn't mind telling her…wouldn't mind at all if it made her smile.

'Must be thinking of Bella…gah…who knew he'd turn into such a sappy idiot.' Edward didn't even react to Emmett's teasing thoughts.

'Sappy idiot, huh?' If sappy idiot was what Emmett called him when he was this happy, then sappy idiot sounded just fine to him. 'Worry…I'm worrying about her.' He reminded himself once again as Emmett continued to tease him in his mind. But suddenly, his brother's thoughts turned serious.

'How is she? Really?' Edward turned a bit. Emmett had been with Rosalie that morning and hadn't gotten a chance to see her.

"She didn't sleep well…"

'Again?' He sighed. 'Is she okay?'

Edward bit his lip, deciding to confide in his brother. "You should have seen her when I picked her up…she looked…well like one of us." Emmett shook his head, pretending to scribble something down when the teacher glanced at them as they had a conversation he couldn't hear.

'What is with that girl?'

"She's a magnet for all kinds of trouble, that's for sure." Edward mumbled.

'Well it's a good thing she has us to look out for her now.' Emmett told him easily. Edward grinned, shooting his brother a grateful look. 'You ought to invite her over again. Esme already misses her.'

The class finally ended and Edward hurried though the halls to her classroom, Emmett hot on his heels. He caught sight of Bella as she left her own room, adjusting her backpack and stifling a yawn. Emmett paused, wincing a little. "Man…she does look bad. You sure she's not sick?" Emmett spoke quietly enough so that the people surrounding them wouldn't hear.

"I don't believe so…she's having nightmares."

"Are you going to tell Carlisle?"

"If she won't speak to anyone on her own, I don't think going behind her back will help." Emmett ceased paying attention when Bella spotted them, and he grinned, moving easily through the throngs of people to greet her with a hug.

"Hey." He approached the scene where his brother kept an arm around her. "You okay?" Emmett spoke quietly, his eyes untroubled, but his clenched jaw speaking of his worry. The other students seemed to eye them suspiciously, Jessica, a girl that seemed intent on getting close to Bella, hanging around the sidelines and trying to listen. "You look tired."

"I'm fine." She tried to assure him, but her words were undermined by a yawn.

"Maybe you ought to go home…or to our house. Carlisle's home. You can rest there if you want." Just as Edward had known she would, the girl shook her head firmly.

"I'm fine, Emmett." She insisted, and his brother sighed, squeezing her one last time, then relinquishing her to Edward.

"Alright. Rose is waiting for me. See you around Bella." Edward slipped his hand into hers, returning her smile briefly.

"Bella, why can't you sleep?" He asked her quietly, leading her toward her next class.

"I don't know…maybe I'm just getting used to a new place…plus Jacob got me up early yesterday. I'm sure I'll sleep fine tonight." He knew she was lying…knew that she was avoiding the topic…knew from both Jacob and Alice that she was tormented by nightmares that left her sobbing for half the night.

'Does she not trust me? Or does she just not want to talk about it?' He wondered sadly. 'If I could just stay with her, hold her while she sleeps…she doesn't have nightmares when she's with with me.' He shook the thought away, knowing how impossible it was. Instead, he paused at the door to her next class, his hand cupping her face. He didn't trust his control enough yet that day to kiss her, so he stroked her pale cheek, rubbing a thumb under her eye, gently touching the dark circles there. "I love you." He told he quietly, hoping his absolute conviction was apparent with every word.

She smiled, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around him, her head resting tiredly against his chest. "I love you too." Kissing the top of her head, her pulled away after a moment, hating to be apart from her, but knowing he had to go to class…he wondered if he could change his schedule around to get into another class or two with her… "I'll see you after class." He smiled, trying to hide his worry.

"Alright." Stepping back, he waited for her to go into the classroom, watching her through the eyes of others as she took a seat at her desk, then headed off to his own class, still cursing the fact that he only had one class with her as he slid into his seat silently. 'It's been days since she's had a decent night's sleep...is that dangerous for humans? Could this make her ill?" He grimaced at the thought. 'I shouldn't go behind her back...she'll be upset and probably angry with me...really angry. I need to let it go. If she wants to speak to me about this, she will.' Strengthening his resolve, he began to write down the words as the teacher spoke, hoping to keep his mind occupied. But only fifteen minutes into the class, his resolve was gone. 'I have to talk to Carlisle about this..' Unable to wait to consult his father, he pulled out his phone, sending his father a quick text and hoping that he would know what to do.


	12. Chapter 12

** I am sorry for making you all wait. However, I am currently attending school full time, working part time, and participating in NaNoWriMo (national novel writing month.) I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Thank you once again to Grim and AnneCullen for reviewing. You guys are great :)**

Edward waited in his car, the heat running steadily as he waited for her truck to turn the corner. He couldn't stay with her, and he couldn't pick her up at Billy's, but he could at least do this. He glanced at the clock on the dashboard, the little numbers letting him know that she was running late, and instantly he was worried. For the past two days, she'd seemed to decline, the lack of sleep the obvious cause. She'd refused to go to the hospital, or to see Carlisle, and he knew that it hurt both Carlisle and Esme that she seemed to be avoiding them. But he understood…she was the kind that would suffer in silence, and seemed embarrassed when people tried to help her. He did his best to put her at ease, offering to take her to his house so that she could sleep, offering to skip school…promising that no one would force her to go to the hospital if she didn't want to…unless her life was in danger. If she were in danger, she would go to the hospital.

The numbers changed, and he waited until she was at least twenty minutes late before he let himself panic. 'What if she crashed on the way here? What if she's hurt? Or sick? Or dying? What if a bear wandered onto the reservation and…' he cut the thoughts off, pulling out his phone. He didn't have the number to Billy's house, but he had Jacob's. Before he could dial the boy's number, he heard footsteps approaching and stepped out of the car, ready to defend both himself and the fact that he hadn't crossed the border, when the tall figure of a young man appeared. 'Sam Uley?' He wondered, stepping closer but remaining on his side of the line.

"Edward Cullen?" The man asked, hesitating and looking him over, deciding that he didn't look dangerous and approaching after a second. 'Billy would kill me for this…but there's no way _he's _going to tell him.' Edward's curiosity was piqued.

"Yes." He spoke a little hesitantly, glancing back at the road in hopes of seeing Bella's truck.

"Jacob said you'd probably be here waiting for Bella. I'm Sam." He reached out a hand and Edward took it after a half second of hesitation. However, he didn't seem all that surprised at the vampire's cold hand. "Nice to meet you…Jacob begged me to come and talk to you." Edward lifted an eyebrow in confusion. "He had to go to school by the time he found out…um, Bella won't be in school today, so you don't need to pick her up."

Edward frowned in confusion and worry. "Is she alright?"

He hesitated a little. "Um…I think she's sick…Jacob just said she wasn't feeling well and that Billy was keeping her home." Edward clutched his phone in his hand. For days now, Bella had been feeling badly…how bad was it if she needed to stay home? He needed to speak to Carlisle.

After texting his father in class two days ago, the older man had only suggested he bring Bella to the house for him to examine her, but Bella had refused, claiming that she had too much homework and didn't need to be looked over by a doctor. He'd hesitated to insist, knowing that he didn't want to fight with her. But he'd been unable to help noticing how exhausted she always was. Each morning she fell asleep in his car on the way to school, and he drove as slowly as he could get away with, wanting to give her as much time to sleep as he could. And twice the day before in Biology, he'd had to nudge her awake before the teacher would notice her nodding off.

He wasn't the only one that had noticed her exhausted state. Emmett went out of way to keep an eye on her, and Jasper did his best at lunch to steady her emotions. He told Edward that something was wrong with her…her emotions were despondent at times, mostly in the mornings, and Alice told them that she was having terrible nightmares, although Alice didn't know what they were about. Edward could guess though. He knew she'd seen her father…right after the accident. He could only imagine the terrible visions that assaulted her in her sleep.

Sam had his hands stuck in his pocket, obviously uncomfortable. "Did…did you want to come see her?" Edward looked up in surprise. Was he being given permission? And did it count if it was given by Sam Uley? "I can show you the way to the house…" Edward thought for a moment.

"That's very kind of you…" He was about to refuse, knowing that it would be too dangerous, but Sam sighed, his thoughts irritated.

"Look, I don't really understand the legends…but honestly, having you with her would help Bella. That's good enough for me." Edward sighed, placing his phone back in his pocket with a nod, and gesturing for Sam to get into the car. Not seeming very wary, Sam did so, but Edward could hear him thinking about his shoes and being worried about getting dirt on the carpet, as if Edward could be bothered to care about his car of all things right now.

Sam directed him to the house easily, and Edward tried to ignore the startled looks that he was getting from the citizens of La Push who were out on their porches or walking along the road. He parked in front of the small house, shutting off the car and waiting for Sam to lead the way to the door, although he could hear Bella's heartbeat inside and longed to just run in…but of course, that would be rude, and Billy would probably be upset…more so than he was going to be already.

He stepped inside behind Sam, wondering at the young man's actions when he threw the door open without knocking and called a 'hello' to Billy. The older man wheeled out of one of the back bedrooms, his thoughts curious and surprised, then turned incredulous and wary. "You…what are you…"

"I invited him. I thought he'd like to see Bella." Sam's voice was full of forced innocence, but inwardly he was hoping Billy didn't start shouting.

"I thought I would take her to see Carlisle…he's at home today, and he's worried about her. She can't sleep?"

'Can't or won't….' His disgruntled thoughts gave way to more anger as Edward stepped forward, but he kept his lips tightly shut as he glanced over at the confused Sam who, for whatever reason, had decided to drop onto the couch, a bag of chips open at his side, and flipped on the TV. "Boy, does this look like your house?" Sam grinned and Edward smiled at the ground.

"Kind of, yea." He bit down on a chip, turning up the TV, and Billy sighed.

"Keep it down. Bella needs sleep." As the man's back was turned, Edward slipped behind his wheelchair, quickly navigating to the back bedroom where Bella was. He stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him, then turned to face Bella, finding her in the bed, a heater running, with covers up to her neck. Staying perfectly still for a minute, he tried to accustom himself to her strong scent and the painful burn in his throat. After it was bearable, he moved to stand near her bed, alerting her to his presence as she looked up blearily.

"Edward?" She asked in surprise, the shadows under her eyes making her look like a thirsty vampire. "What are you doing here?"

"I was invited." He told her softly, keeping his voice gentle as he moved to her side, kneeling beside her bed. "Are you alright?" He touched her face gently, stroking the skin under her eye with his thumb.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I told Billy I could go to school…" He stared at her incredulously.

"Are you…" He bit his tongue, not wanting to offend her. "You're sick, Bella. You need to rest."

"I'm not sick…it's just a headache." He frowned at that, his earlier panic kicking in.

'She had a concussion…is it too late for that to be causing her pain? Did she hit her head again? She needs to go to Carlisle.' He moved his hand to her shoulders, slipping and arm underneath them, then placed another arm under her knees, all before she realized what he was doing. Gaping at him, she grabbed his arm as he lifted her easily, cradling her against his chest.

"What…Edward, what are you doing?"

"You need to see a doctor, and Carlisle is the closest…although we can go to the hospital if you wish." She shook her head, still clutching his arm as though he would drop her. He carefully arrange the blanket so that it wrapped around her, then noticed that she wasn't wearing shoes, so he reached down, grabbing the pair of sneakers by the door.

"Edward, I'm fine. I don't need…"

"Have you slept at all this week? Since Sunday?"

"Of course, I…"

"Bella, I'm worried." He murmured, looking into her eyes as he held her close. "Truly worried. You're obviously sick, and you need to see a doctor before you get worse. So please. Let me take you to see Carlisle." She hesitated for a long minute, then seemed to give up, mumbling a reluctant okay and dropping her head against his chest. He kissed her forehead, stepping out of the room, then into the kitchen.

"Wha…what do you think you're doing?"

"Taking her to see Carlisle. She's ill."

"You don't think I can take her to the doctor?"

"I'm sure you can. But Carlisle is at home today and he's been her doctor since she arrived. So I'm taking her to see him." His gaze dared Billy to object, and the man gritted his teeth, his thoughts warring between fear and frustration. "I'll bring her home this evening." Edward promised softly, even as he felt Bella start to drift in his arms although that couldn't have been comfortable for her. Even more worried, he stroked her back, leaning her against his shoulder. "If she needs to go to the hospital, Carlisle will call you." Billy didn't answer, obviously torn between worry for Bella and his irritation with Edward's presence in his home.

Edward nodded to Sam, resolving to thank him in some way…searching his thoughts quickly, he tried to figure out what gift he could anonymously send the La Push resident…did he want a car? Money? A computer? He couldn't find any particular trinket that stood out, and hoped he would get a chance to see him again; otherwise he'd just send him money. Bella shifted in his arms as he stepped up to the car, her bleary eyes on him alerting him to the fact that she'd hadn't actually fallen asleep. "Try and sleep, Bella. Please? You need rest."

"Don't want to." She mumbled, resting her head on the seat as he gently placed her in the car and burrowing in the blankets. The car was still warm, and he climbed in quickly, starting the car once more and taking her hand.

"Why not?" She didn't answer, instead closing her eyes and furrowing her brow, reminding him that she had a headache. "Are you warm enough?" He asked, putting the car in reverse. She nodded a little as he backed out of the driveway and hurried out of La Push.

* * *

Carlisle sat on the sofa, Esme at his side with her head on his shoulder, her gaze focused on a set of blueprints of one of their outbuildings. She was thinking about creating a little cottage…although he thought it was a little early in the game for her to be building Bella and Edward a house…still, Alice's visions were so clear, according to her, that they might as well be set in stone…although his daughter was an optimist and prone to exaggeration. Still, he couldn't help a small thrill of excitement, although he reminded himself that the girl hadn't visited for days. 'She's probably busy.' He scolded himself. 'She isn't technically my daughter and she doesn't live here…yet.' He placed his lips against Esme's temple, enjoying the brief moment of time alone with her. The others would be back in the afternoon, but they had several hours of alone time, and he didn't particularly want to spend it looking at blueprints. He started to move his hand, leaning toward her, when a car pulled into the driveway.

Frowning, he stood, moving over to the window as Edward's car came into view, and he caught sight of Bella, apparently asleep in the passenger seat. Esme, moving to his side, stiffened in surprise, then raced out the door, him following behind her as closely as possible, his mind ready to catalog whatever symptoms she might have. 'She hasn't been sleeping…nightmares.' He brushed that away…it didn't matter right now. 'Symptoms of sleep deprivation: confusion, trouble forming memories, headache, tremors…' He reached the passenger side of the car, his mind split between listing symptoms and listening to Edward. '…general discomfort, muscle aches, hallucination, depression…'

"…so I brought her here…she's trying to stay awake." Carlisle took her hand in his, pressing his fingers against her wrist.

"Hello Bella." He made his voice light as he counted her heartbeats as the blood moved through her body, something he could both hear and feel in his fingers against her wrist. "We must stop meeting this way." She smiled slightly, her eyes fluttering as she tried to keep them open. "How are you feeling?" He asked, removing his fingers from her wrist and gently touching her cheek, then her forehead, checking to make sure she didn't have a fever.

"Fine." He snorted, reaching in and picking her up gently, carrying her into the house with Edward and Esme on his heels.

"Of course you are." He shook his head, feeling both worried and indulgent. The girl would be 'fine' if she was bleeding to death or dangling from a cliff. He made a mental note to never trust her assessments of herself. "Edward?"

"She has a headache…that's why Billy kept her home."

"Okay. You need to sleep, Bella." He told her gently, placing her on the bed in Alice and Jasper's room and shutting the curtain. He and Edward could see perfectly fine, but Bella would be able to sleep better in the dark. Hurrying into his office, he grabbed a sedative and some pain medicine, hoping it would help with her headache. "Here." He poured the liquid into a little cup and held it to her mouth. "This will help your headache." She drank it, swallowing and dropping back onto the pillow. Next he picked up the needle and watched her stiffen, shrinking away from him, making his heart clench. "This is going to help you sleep." He told her gently, hating that he was frightening her. She shook her head anxiously and Edward sat beside her, his hand on her arm. "Why not, Bella?" He asked gently, although he knew it was probably due to the nightmares. She closed her eyes, turning away from him, and he sighed, "Alright. I'm not going to give this to you now. Just try and rest, okay?" He put a hand on the girl's head, wishing he could comfort her. From the look on Edward's face, his son was thinking the same. 'Try to get her to relax. If she can sleep today, and then get enough rest tonight, she should be fully recovered by tomorrow. It hasn't gotten too bad yet. But if she can't sleep, I'll have to sedate her…sleep deprivation will make her ill if it goes on for too long.'

Edward kept his arm around her in the large bed, stroking her back gently and humming softly. He could feel her resisting, but she was obviously very tired. "Sleep Bella." He murmured, making his voice soft. "I'm right here. I'll stay with you."

"Don't want to." She tried to argue, but her eyes were slipping shut and her body was relaxing. "Nightmares."

"I know." He sighed sadly, wishing he could help her with that. "Can you tell me what they're about." She looked up at him in confusion, but he continued to stroke her back. "It may help." She hesitated, biting her lip, then sighed, closing her eyes again.

"Charlie…after the crash." He leaned forward, kissing her forehead.

"What do you dream."  
"Sometimes…it's like I'm there again…but no one comes." She shuddered, burrowing under the blankets.

"Sometimes?" He asked gently.

"And other times…he's fine…he survives…but when I wake up…" Her voice broke off and he pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, rocking her on the little bed. "Oh Bella…I'm here." He murmured. She seemed about to say something else, but her breathing finally began to even out. He hoped that she was asleep, but she jolted awake, obviously fighting it as hard as she could. "We can't sedate her against her will." He spoke so quietly that only Carlisle and Esme would hear. "But we can call Jasper…" Somehow the thought of having his brother ease her into sleep was better than using a drug. 'Because we don't have to restrain her and put a needle in her that way.' He would not allow that. No matter what his father said. He couldn't do that to her.

"I'll call him." His father promised, then they both froze as they heard a car pull into the driveway.

"Alice." Jasper spoke just as quietly as they did, and Edward watched through Carlisle's eyes as he nodded to their father as he stepped inside. "The school is going to call about both of us being out…in about fifteen minutes according to Alice." Carlisle conveyed his quiet thanks and Jasper moved to stand outside Bella's door, getting a feel for her emotions. 'She's scared…of nightmares I guess.' He told Edward silently, letting his brother feel her emotions as he tried to sort through them. 'She knows she's safe, but she doesn't want to sleep….I'll calm her down. If I can keep her calm while she sleeps, she probably won't have nightmares.' Before Edward could profess the gratitude Jasper could feel rolling off of him, Jasper got to work on her emotions, reassuring Edward silently that it was no problem. Honestly he'd been pretty worried about her too.

What Jasper hadn't considered was Bella's unique ability to pick up on his gift. She felt him shifting her mood, but he didn't allow her to fight back, smothering her with calm. Right before she drifted off, she swore, calling his brother a name that made Jasper laugh softly. 'Wonder if she heard that from Emmett.' Edward smiled softly in amusement, hoping that Bella wasn't too angry with them when she woke up.

* * *

More than anything, I'd wanted to go to Edward's house. I missed Carlisle and Esme…missed these people I was starting to see as parents and who treated me like a beloved daughter. But I couldn't. And that made me feel horrible. Were they offended? Hurt? Did they think I didn't want to see them? But if I went over there, Carlisle would insist on checking me over, and then he'd ask why I wasn't sleeping…and I just couldn't talk about it. So when he placed me in a bed, promising that he wouldn't sedate me, but asking me to rest, I'd felt more at peace than I had in days, and I wondered why I'd been so afraid. Of course Carlisle wouldn't hurt me. He wouldn't shout or get angry…he was a doctor. He'd take care of me.

But he couldn't take away the terrible nightmares. So when I'd felt Jasper's influence as he'd calmed my system, gently slowing my breathing and relaxing my muscles, I'd felt a wave of irritation that was immediately suppressed. With the last of my coherence, I called him a name I'd heard Emmett use once or twice, but only when he was secure in the knowledge that Esme couldn't hear him.

To my vague surprise, my dreams remained peaceful, the most conflict in them when I started to get cold, but then I was warm again, and someone was humming and holding me in their arms, and I couldn't remember a time when I'd been happier.

**Thank you all for reading. **


	13. Chapter 13

**AnneCullen: Thank you very much for the review as always :)**

**Grim Waters: I apologize for any ****inconvenience...not really. I'm glad you like my writing :D**

**Thank you to everyone else who reviewed as well. I know I got behind on answering reviews, but with school, work, NaNoWriMo, etc, I'm doing my best. Thank you all very much and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

The girl's emotions were painful. Jasper had noticed the negative ones pop up every once in a while that first time she'd actually met him, and then again after the baseball game. At school, she went back and forth, her mood usually dropping when one of them wasn't with her, but sometimes even when they were. There were times when Edward would put his arms around her, holding her close, sometimes kissing her hair, sometimes just holding her hand, especially at lunch, when she would suddenly put off waves of pain, then glance up at him, obviously checking to see if he'd noticed. But he was good about looking straight ahead, or focusing on his own conversations, pretending he hadn't been paying attention. But he wanted to help her…he could ease the pain, and she noticed every time but didn't call him out, but that was all. He couldn't take all of it away, not without risking her anger or irritation or upset or something negative. And he didn't want to upset her! He wanted her to be happy, like she was those other times when she was talking and laughing with them.

'She blames herself.' The thought startled him as he kept her sleep peaceful, fighting the traces of guilt and pain in her dreams, but as soon as he thought it, he realized it was true. He could feel the surprise coming from Edward and sighed, trying to figure it out as his brother's emotions turned from startled to tormented. 'She thinks it's her fault that her father is dead.' He'd heard her speaking to Esme, how she'd claimed that she couldn't possibly know what her father would want, as she'd never really spent time with him. 'I think…she blames herself for his death.' He informed his brother, trying to make sense of his own thoughts. 'Because she came here…or because she never visited him much before…'

Edward didn't answer, and Jasper could only imagine that he was pulling her closer, holding her tightly in a desperate attempt to save her from her own pain. "I don't think….the grass doesn't need…green. Too green." He fought back a laugh at her incoherent mumbles, and felt Edward's strained amusement as well. He'd learned that the girl always spoke in her sleep, often tossing and turning as well, and it was fun to listen to her unguarded thoughts and try to make sense of her dreams. "No, it's…." She shifted in her sleep, and he focused once more on easing her emotions, trying to give her some peaceful sleep. "…cold here…"

He stood, stepping into his bedroom where Edward and Bella lay, nodding to his brother who was trying to give her room so that she wouldn't be cold, while still trying to hold her like she obviously wanted. "Edward?" Jasper opened the door to his closet, reaching up and pulling an extra quilt off of the top shelf. They kept several around, mostly because Alice and Rosalie used them for decoration, but now they would serve a more useful purpose. He opened it, moving alongside the bed.

"I'm here, Bella." Edward murmured, stroking her cheek as Jasper draped the additional blanket over her, then went back to the hallway, sitting on the floor once more while Edward thanked him quietly, tucking the blanket between himself and the girl, wrapping it around her so that she would be comfortable.

The day passed slowly, which was fine for Jasper. Closing his eyes, he lay his head back against the wall and let himself relax completely, his only focus on his new little sister in Edward's arms, keeping her emotions calm and happy. Whatever guilt or pain she was feeling could not be dealt with in her dreams. They would try to talk to her, and if that didn't work, Carlisle would come up with a solution. He was amused at himself for a moment, but honestly, he did believe that. Like a little child, he believed that his father could do anything. In a way, they all did. He couldn't feel tired, but allowing himself to relax was revitalizing, and the mostly pleasant atmosphere in their home only helped him relax further. For the first part of his life as a vampire, he'd been on high alert at all times, always ready to be attacked, and often was. He'd been a monster, a murderer, and hadn't thought too much about it, apart from the heavy, painful emotions that plagued him. But then, when he'd left Maria, when he'd met Alice…when he'd found these people that became his family, he'd learned, slowly but surely, how to relax. It helped that he trusted his two brothers completely, and that he knew that were anything to threaten himself or Alice, his entire family would be there to stand up for them.

So sitting against the wall and doing absolutely nothing, other than monitoring Bella, was a nice change. Alice was with Emmett and Rosalie, and was perfectly safe. Carlisle and Esme were downstairs, Edward was in his room with Bella…Jasper's own comfort and happiness bled into the emotions he was wrapping Bella with, and he felt her contentment from the hallway.

* * *

I was warm. And comfortable. And still tired. I rolled over in the wonderfully large and comfortable bed, sighing contentedly and snuggling into the blankets. Suddenly arms tightened around me and I stiffened, my eyes flying open, then relaxed when I found myself lying next to Edward. He chuckled softly, leaning forward and kissing my forehead. "Are you awake now?" He asked gently, rubbing my back, and I scooted closer to him, shaking my head. He began humming softly once more, the soft sound and the emotions I knew Jasper was pushing at me putting me back to sleep after only another minute.

The next time I woke, I opened my eyes slowly, stretching a little and rolling over again. The arms were still around me, and Edward stroked my back, kissing my hair again. "Is she finally awake?" Someone whined.

"Hush Emmett." I smiled a little at Esme's scolding, burrowing into Edward's arms. I was so comfortable…and calm…and Jasper had to be behind this. I heard Jasper chuckle softly, and the door opened and shut, letting in a trickle of light in for a second, then I felt the bed dip.

"She's waking up." That was Carlisle, and his hand went to my forehead. "She doesn't have a fever…I believe she's just catching up on her sleep. Bella?" He addressed me, moving his hand to my shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay…what's going on?" I asked, peering up at him drowsily. I couldn't really remember what had happened…why I was here.

"Edward brought you over here…you weren't feeling well. How's your head?"

I remembered the headache now and shook my head, feeling silly for worrying them. "Fine…I'm sorry." He touched my cheek, shaking his head and frowning.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart. You weren't feeling well." He glanced over when the door opened once more and Esme stepped into the room, a tray in her hand. "Do you want to eat?" He asked gently as Edward placed a hand on my back, carefully helping me sit up against the pillows suddenly stacked behind my back. "We've got soup, toast…" He squeezed my hand. "You've slept most of the day, but you will need a good night's sleep tonight as well."

"Most of the day?" I asked in surprise, looking around the dim room. But the curtains were closed, and I couldn't tell what time it was.

"Yes, it's nearly eight o'clock. I believe it would be best if you stayed home from school tomorrow as well." He must have read my face because he shook his head firmly.

"Bella, I'm your doctor. And I'll tell Billy as well. You need to rest for a little while." He ran a hand over my hair, leaning forward and pulling me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around him, realizing just how much I'd missed him in the last few days. "Now, you need to eat something. Okay?" I nodded a little, still not giving up on going back the next day, but not wanting to argue with him.

"Thank you." I spoke quietly to Esme, a little embarrassed, but she kissed my hair, shaking her head.

"You're welcome sweetie." She touched my hot cheek, placing the tray of food in my lap.

"Would you like to stay here tonight?" Carlisle asked me seriously. "I'd like to speak with you, and you'll need to get all the sleep you can tonight."

I wanted to stay with Edward…I loved Billy and Jacob, but having Edward with me, and having Jasper around to keep me calm, kept the nightmares away. But…Billy would worry. Carlisle reached out and touched my cheek. "I will call Billy and tell him what's going on, if you'd like." I glanced over at Edward and nodded just a little. He pulled me against his side, kissing my temple, and Carlisle smiled softly, standing. "I'll let you eat while I call him. And then I'd like to speak with you." I nodded, a little worried for a second before my emotions turned completely calm and positive, and I sighed at Jasper.

Edward's brother chuckled as he stepped into the room and turned the lights up slowly, letting me adjust to the light. "Hey Bella." He greeted with a smile, moving to sit beside us in a chair by the bed. "You feeling better?"  
"Yeah. Thank you." I didn't just mean for his inquiry and he knew it, smiling and reaching out to ruffle my hair.

"Eat. Then you can sleep some more." I stuck my tongue out at him, leaning against Edward and taking a bite while he laughed.

* * *

"Hello?" Carlisle was a little surprised when Jacob answered the Black's home phone.

"Hello Jacob. It's Carlisle Cullen."

"Hey Dr. Cullen." He smiled at the boy's friendly greeting. "Is Bella okay?"

"Yes. She's feeling much better. May I speak to your father?"

"Sure. Just a second." He could hear the muffled sounds of Jacob speaking to Billy, and then Billy was given the phone.

"Hello?" Billy grumbled at him.

"Hello Billy. I wanted to speak to you about Bella."

"What about her? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. She slept most of the day, and I hope she'll sleep through the night…I'm going to give her a check up as soon as she's finished eating. But I don't think she needs to go to the hospital. I did want her to stay here for the night, and I think she should stay home tomorrow. I can bring her back to your house in the morning if you'd like…or meet you at the border, as long as you'll be home to keep an eye on her."  
Billy sighed, a reluctant sound. "I'll be fishing tomorrow." He answer simply. "I'll cancel my trip…"

"Bella is more than welcome to stay here until you return. I have to go to work in the morning, but Esme will be with her all day." He assured the man. "We want to keep an eye on her, just in case. I'm worried that her nightmares are causing the lack of sleep, and that once she returns home, they will come back."

"Did you sedate her?" Carlisle hesitated, not wanting to lie, but knowing that the truth wasn't really an option either.

"In a way. Having Edward nearby helped. And I gave her some medicine orally…I didn't inject her with anything. She was able to sleep without it."

There was a brief pause, and Billy took a long breath. "Is there anything you can do? About the nightmares?" He asked softly, his voice sad, and Carlisle felt a wave of sympathy for the man that obviously cared for Bella.

"Perhaps. They sometimes fade with time after a traumatic event. Keeping busy helps…she's immersing herself into life here…and she seems to be doing well in school, even considering her exhaustion."

"And now she has Edward, of course." Carlisle sighed at his bitter voice.

"Yes, she has all of my family. We care very much for Bella."  
"So you're going to suck the life out of her? Make her like you?"

"If Bella wishes to join our family, truly join our family, then we will welcome her. Happily. If she doesn't wish to join us, we would never force her. It will be her choice. Completely."

"And the treaty?" Billy nearly snapped.

"Of course we'll have to leave first."

Billy was silent for a long moment, obviously fuming. Carlisle could understand...there was truly nothing the man could do about this. "Is that all?"

"Yes. One of us will bring her to the border tomorrow, or to your house if you wish. I'll call you before we bring her." Jaw clenched, he hung up the phone.

Sighing, he placed his phone back into his pocket, staring at the ceiling for a moment. He knew that Billy hated them…that most of the members of his tribe did as well. They didn't trust them…those people had a long memory. Of course, they'd been hurt by other vampires, so he couldn't truly blame them. But it was still hard to know that nothing he could do would change the man's mind. But then he thought of Jacob, how the boy was always friendly to Edward, and always polite to himself. He thought of Edward's story about Sam, another descendent of the tribe's great leader, and how the boy had invited Edward onto the reservation just to see Bella, how he'd defended him against Billy. These boys didn't know it, but they would hold the authority over the treaty soon. Would they be willing to befriend his family? Would the need for a treaty go away with this generation? All because of Bella and her friendship with Jacob and the other tribe member's children?

He checked the time and realized that she was probably finished eating. Stepping out of his office and into the hallway, he found Jasper, once more on the ground, eyes closed. Feeling calmer just by standing near his son, he reached down and mussed his son's hair, laughing when he ducked away and his emotions turned amused. "She's done eating…she's still tired." Jasper informed him, leaning back against the wall once more and lifting an arm when Alice moved to sit beside him, her head going to his shoulder. Carlisle turned away from them, moving to Jasper's door, and was given permission by Edward to enter. Esme was sitting in a chair beside their bed now, her worried eyes on the girl nearly asleep against his son's side.

"Bella?" She jolted awake, even though he spoke softly, and he offered her an apologetic smile. "I'd like to give you a check up, if that's alright. It's due anyway, after your injuries, and I need to talk to you about why you're not getting enough sleep." She dropped her eyes back to the blanket and he felt a wave of guilt. He didn't want to do this to her…didn't want to make her uncomfortable or upset. He wanted her to be happy.

'If I'm going to be her father…then I have to be her father all the time.' He told himself firmly. 'I want her as a daughter, so I need to take care of her.' He had never had a human family; never had a child that needed physical care or help. Most of the problems his children suffered from were mental, and he did his best to comfort them when they needed it, and to give them space when it was required. But with Bella, she needed physical protecting and his skills as a medical doctor. So reaching out, he took her hand. "Can you come with me to my office? I'll be as quick as I can." He would start with asking. Gently suggesting.

She hesitated for a moment, and he gave her time. He had no idea how she related to her mother, or how she had to her father, but a firm parental presence in her life seemed to have been lacking. He rubbed the back of her hand while she thought for a moment, then nodded, sitting up a little. His hand moved to the back of her elbow, supporting her as she sat up, then helped her stand. Edward hovered, sitting up anxiously, and he trained his thoughts on his son. 'She'll be okay. I've got her.' He assured his son, knowing that Edward had heard his inner struggle, and knew that Carlisle saw this girl as his own, even if Bella didn't know it yet.

"I'll wait downstairs." Edward's words were loud enough for Bella to hear as he moved to her side, kissing her cheek, then left the room in front of them. Carlisle led her slowly to his study, catching her when she stumbled, her tired mind obviously still catching up.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked, leaving the door partially open and turning on the lights, a gesture done purely to make her comfortable. He rarely turned on the lights in any of the rooms, as the windows provided plenty of light during the day and he didn't really need it at night anyway.

"I'm fine." He bit back a sigh, not wanting her to think she was angry with her. He sat down on a chair, angling it toward the sofa where he'd invited her to sit, and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

"Bella, I need you to be honest with me. Please. If there is something wrong, I need to know so that I can help. Nothing you tell me will leave this house." He assured her, wondering if she just wanted to keep it from Billy. She lowered her eyes once more, looking at the carpet. "If you like, I can ask the others to leave so that they can't hear." He offered, but she shook her head.

Standing, he went to get his medical bag, then placed it on the sofa next to her. "Alright. I'll start with a standard check up, alright? I need to feel your sides to make sure they're healing. Are you experiencing any pain in your sides or chest?" She shook her head as he gently felt along her ribs, glad to know that they felt normal.

"No. They don't hurt much anymore." He nodded, figuring that they would be sore at times.

"And your head?"

"I had a headache this morning." She spoke reluctantly and he was glad that she was at least attempting honestly.

"I believe that was from the sleep deprivation." He moved his hands to her temples and gently felt along her skull, concentrating fully on the bone he could easily feel. 'Human bones are so delicate.' He thought a little sadly as he was careful not to squeeze too tightly. When it came to dealing with humans, he always had to be careful, although it was second nature for him now. "Apart from being unable to sleep, are you having any other problems?" He asked, taking her hand and pulling out a blood pressure cuff, glancing up when she shook her head. The first thing he'd learned as a doctor was that blood was everything to humans. How quickly it moved through their veins, how much of it they had, how salty or sweet it was, how much white and red, how the cells themselves were shaped…all of these things were quite literally life or death for them. There was so little room for error with humans. So he found that he was worried as he took her blood pressure, then her temperature and her pulse. Was there something physically wrong with her that he was missing? Was he doing something wrong?

Shaking his head at himself, he made mental notes of his findings. 'I'm being paranoid. There doesn't seem to be anything physically wrong with her…I sound like a new parent.' He dealt with many of those…mothers and fathers with new little infants, so terrified and confused and worried that they would lose them, and he was always careful, and self assured as he spoke to them, assuring them that he would take care of their children. And it was something he enjoyed the most…saving the lives of little children that peered at him shyly from behind their mother's legs or the toddlers that sometimes giggled when he tickled them and played happily with the toys he kept for them in his office.

To him, Bella was his new child, his fragile, wonderful, miraculous gift that he couldn't lose; that Edward couldn't lose. His family, thanks to Alice, loved her now. And that was permanent. So he had to help her.

"You're having nightmares?" He couldn't remember dreaming. His human life was such a hazy memory that it was more like a story he'd memorized than an actual part of his life, his change being the exception. He wasn't sure one could ever forget that. Still, there were times when he found the idea of sleep appealing…until he remembered nightmares. Apparently humans sometimes saw terrible visions while they slept sometimes. He would certainly want to avoid sleep if every time he closed his eyes, he saw a dead family member, or worse, a living one, and was forced to face reality anew every time he awoke.

She nodded, her lower lips slipping between her teeth, and he moved to sit beside her on the sofa, his arm going around her. "Can you tell me about them?" She sniffed, and he knew that the fact that she was still very tired was contributing to her emotional pain. But he was glad Jasper wasn't trying to calm her. She needed to feel her emotions. "You dream about Charlie?" He prompted gently, looking down at her and rubbing the side of her arm. She nodded, biting down on her lip, and he lifted a hand to her face, gently discouraging her from hurting herself.

"The night he died." She mumbled, looking down at the floor. "The accident…but sometimes he doesn't die…and when I wake up…" He sighed, kissing the top of her head as he held her tightly against him. There was something else though...she was tense and her jaw was locked as she tried to keep whatever it was locked deeply inside. He waited, feeling her hot tears soak into his shirt, his hand never faltering on her arm as he waited for her to speak. He was patient…he had to be. She could take as long as she needed. "My fault…if it wasn't for me, he'd be fine." She finally choked out, and he felt a jolt of horror in his spine, straightening and looking down at her. "It's my fault he's dead…" She whimpered into his chest as his arms went automatically around her. "I killed my father."

**Thank you all for reading! I hope you liked it.**


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